The Labyrinth
by Restless Brook
Summary: [AU] Light once again finds itself in a plight against darkness. The Digidestined must make their way through intricate, ancient dangers in order to restore peace to both the Digiworld and that of their own.
1. The Truth Beneath The Rose

**Author's Notes**: I haven't written a series type of story for quite some time now. The most I've ever accomplished was a ten chapter piece written a couple of years ago. Since rediscovering Digimon, I've been really inspired in my writing. As a result, I bring you this, which, I hope, to finish over the summer. I cannot guarantee consistent updates, but I will try and update this regularly. 

The concept of this stems from various influences. I plan on incorporating elements of "The Labyrinth" (1986), "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006), mythological figures, some aspects of different poems I've read, and some "Phantom of the Opera," hopefully. Obviously, from the title, and what I've included in the influences of this story, the concept of the labyrinth plays a significant role. You'll see as you read along.

Yes, there is romance. No, this isn't fluff, nor is romance intended to be the focus of the story. Keep in mind, this mostly revolves around the supernatural, so the romance will not, exactly, serve as a part of the ordinary.

Feedback is greatly appreciated, but I'm not starving for reviews. I plan on continuing this, even if no one reads it. However, as an author, I more than welcome criticism, as long as it's relevant and constructive. Flames, on the other hand, will be pointedly ignored and deleted.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon, or its characters, just as much as I don't own the concept of the labyrinth, or any of the ideals I've incorporated from the sources I've already mentioned. This was written for recreational purposes only.

* * *

The Labyrinth

The stark night seemed to cling to her, with all the determination of a lover's caress. But now was not a time to be thinking of love. Crude darkness swirled around in waves, an ocean of shadowed imminence. The moon seemed especially pallid, as though afraid. Something sinister had called her here, no doubt. There was something eerily familiar that lingered in the diluted air around her. Kari tried not to panic. Surely, she would be able to overcome the fear spreading throughout her body, like some kind of plague, and be rid of this terrible, turbulent place of trepidation.

Something or other twitched, breaking the sullen silence, and causing the young, adolescent girl to shriek in surprise. Her head flitted from left to right, hoping to find the cause of the noise, if only for the sake of her sanity. But no such luck. There was only nothingness around her. Everything, it appeared, had been painted black.

Then, she saw the wall. She gasped at its magnificence. Tall, dark, and intricate, it looked like the architecture of some medieval castle. Even in the dark, she could make out beautiful patterns, archaic as the beginning of time itself. The objects noticed ranged from the obscure to the obscene. Still, she didn't dare look away. The wall's presence compelled her.

She hadn't realized that she had been gradually making her way forward. She glanced to see that she was within reaching distance of the wall. Slowly, her hand sauntered towards the surface. She gasped as flesh impacted with what felt like stone. She couldn't define the sensation completely; all she knew was that it seemed, at once, both beautiful and frightening, like the raw power of a violent storm.

She tried to draw her hand away. In horror, she found it frozen to the wall, as though paralyzed by its hypnotic feel. She cried out instinctively, desperately clutching to a hope that she could find a way out of her current predicament.

The sonorous sound of the midnight hour intruded upon her just then. Even more terrified, the child of light quivered in the darkness. She had never before heard anything as abrasive and terrible as the blunt music now embossing itself upon her ears. Not even Myotismon's laughter was capable of sending so many shivers down her spine.

It was then that she noticed it: she was melting into the wall. For every strike of the hour, a little bit more of her disappeared, little by little, into the otherworld of what lay beyond the wall. She screamed out, begging with the unforgiving winds wrapping their wrath around her. She needed to get away, to escape back to her world of light and warmth.

She was almost completely gone by the time she'd given up on screaming. Eleven times, the clock had been struck, and now, she trembled, awaiting the final hour of her old destiny. She closed her eyes and waited.

The next thing she knew, Kari Kamiya had bolted up, tangled up inside her sheets, a cold sweat lacquered on her young body. She opened her eyes to a world warm, and familiar. Home. She breathed in deep. She was safe, at home. Out of habit, she looked around for her favorite companion, her partner digimon, Gatomon. To her dismay, she was nowhere to be found, and then, she remembered.

It had been almost a year since the defeat of MaloMyotismon. The Digiworld, once again, was restored back to harmony and tranquility, thanks in no small part to Kari and the rest of her friends, the Digidestined. She smiled, thinking about it now. It had been cause for celebration. Though peace had been restored largely on account of Oikawa's sacrifice, hardly a one of them could remain too dismal. The worlds they'd fought to protect for so long were finally free of all evil.

As a result, Gennai declared, the Digidestined could finally return home, once and for all. Every Digiport, no longer deemed necessary, had been shut down. Kari remembered the looks of relief and satisfaction plastered on all of her friends' faces. Only she, it had seemed, had been thinking of what going home had meant for their digimon partners.

_"Gennai," Kari pleaded with her eyes. "what about our digimon? Will we ever get to see them again?" _

_ He looked at her, at them all, long and hard before answering. "Never say never, my dear." His eyes twinkled with delight, as if he knew they'd be back again. _

_ "Really?" Mimi inquired warily. The last thing she wanted was to never see Palmon again. _

_ "Really. Although, I cannot say for how long." Gennai looked at them all sadly. "So for now, this is goodbye."_

Kari felt her eyes grow slightly misty. Gatomon would've understood the helpless she now felt. Gatomon would've comforted her after her wretched nightmare. And certainly, Gatomon would've encouraged her not to go at this alone. She sighed. It had been two weeks since her nightmares had begun. At first, she thought it was merely the stress of starting the new school year. Now, since they'd proved themselves to be recurring, she was no longer sure of their origin, or purpose.

She had kept it a secret from everyone, even TK, her best friend, and Tai, her older brother. She wasn't sure whether to tell them or not. She didn't want to rile either of them up over something small and insignificant. So she remained silent, going to school with bags under her eyes, faking a kind of insomnia.

So far, no one had said anything, but Kari was positive that TK, at least, was catching on. Luckily for her, Tai had moved into the old guest room over the summer. She was grateful for the privacy. She didn't have to constantly worry over troubling him with her burdens accidentally. Still, she knew that, Tai wasn't dense, despite what others might have thought. She sighed again. He was bound to catch on sooner or later.

Caught up in her thoughts, she swung her legs over the side of the bed in frustration. There was no use going back to sleep now. Her dream had taken a lot out of her. She needed a drink, desperately. Her throat felt numb, as though she really had been screaming.

She walked out to the kitchen, dragging her feet in exhaustion. She needed sleep, but what was the use when its only purpose was to haunt her? Perhaps her past adventures had at last caught up with her, after all. She grimaced as she snatched a nearby glass, filling it with tap water. At this point, she was willing to drink straight out of the ocean, so long as it was cold enough.

Looking over at the sliding glass doors, the darkness seemed to consume her vision. She shuddered, trying to forget that wretched dream. She gulped down her water, as though she were a beggar on the verge of dying from thirst, caught out beneath the April rain. Refreshed somewhat, she turned away from the dark night, reluctantly returning to bed.

* * *

Like every other morning before it for the past two weeks, Thursday proved to be hellish and miserable. Kari dragged herself out of bed, much to her dismay, after finally falling into a dreamless sleep. For once, she'd managed to steal a few hours of sweet unconsciousness. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a victory short-lived. Hours, in all reality, seemed equated with seconds. Before she knew it, she was out the door along with her older brother.

She winced, stepping out into fierce sunlight, parting ways with quickly Tai as he headed off in another direction towards the high school. It felt like an eternity since she had last been encompassed by the light. It took her awhile to get used to it, she found, as she made her way to school.

"Hey! Kari!" She turned to face the ever-cheerful face of her best friend, TK. She smiled in greeting. Everything about him seemed so bright. It was no wonder to her that he'd been chosen as the crest of hope.

She blushed as she realized she'd been staring. "Hey, TK. How's it going?"

"Pretty well. Ready for the Lit. test today?" He asked her as they walked into school together.

Kari flinched. Crap. She'd totally forgotten about Literature. She sighed. Another fault to blame on her seemingly endless nightmares. "Unfortunately, I think I'm probably going to end up failing this one." She looked up at him ruefully, praying silently that he couldn't see right through her.

As her best friend, of course he'd noticed something was wrong. She looked haggard, weary. Worn out, to say the least. All of this, Kari, realized, TK must've known, from the way his blue eyes cornered her with concern.

"Shouldn't be too bad, I think." He shrugged, letting the matter drop for the moment, it appeared. "Besides, we've faced far worse than some measly Lit. exam."

Kari smiled feebly at him. He did have a point. She was pretty sure she'd rather fail a test than face, say, Myotismon again. "You're right. Maybe I shouldn't be so worried." Just then, she staggered. She gasped. It was becoming increasingly harder for her to breathe.

"Kari?!" TK instantly was by her side. He caught her in his arms. He must have been working out, Kari thought absentmindedly, as she lingered in his embrace. Frankly, she was in no condition to think, period. She felt as though she were fading, like an aged photograph. Tendrils of mist began nipping at her feet.

"Kari!" TK yelled again, but it was of no use. His voice now was at a distance. The mist had evolved into fog, curling around her form, clinging to her, like the fabric of a dress. She was gowned in dissipation, crowned queen of the eternal fog. She was returning to her kingdom, or so her distorted thoughts told her. A mere moment, and she was gone, as thought swept up by a raging wind.


	2. Our Solemn Hour

The Labyrinth ****

**Author's Note**: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed this! I really appreciate all of your kind words and encouragement. It means a lot to me as a writer, so thank you, once again.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon, or its characters, just as much as I don't own the concept of the labyrinth, or any of the ideals I've incorporated from the sources I've already mentioned. This was written for recreational purposes only.

* * *

Her exhaustion had caught up with her. Kari blinked. Everything around her seemed shaded densely gray. Fog. She opened her eyes to a strange place, dark, and dreary. Yet it seemed familiar. There were no telltale signs of any body of water, so she was sure she wasn't in the Dark Ocean. She pivoted to look behind her, only to find that she was encased by even more gray. She felt confined. She shuddered. Everything about her was pressing in. She felt as if she were buried in a coffin of mist.

Once again, like her previous nightmares, the same wall loomed before her menacingly. She grimaced. She had no desire to touch it this time. But it seemed that her instinct was inclined otherwise. She watched in horror as her hand, on its own accord, reached out to touch the inviting surface of the wall.

"Kari!" A voice, dulled by the thickness of the fog, called out to her. She knew who it belonged to immediately.

"TK?" Her whisper was muted and weak. She tried turning away, looking towards the direction from which the word had originated from. "TK, help me!" Her voice grew bold in desperation.

"Kari!" TK's own voice had also grown in volume. She gasped, startled by it, and the vivacious, yellow light glowing from where he'd spoken. Her concentration upon the wall broke as she became consumed by the need to follow the warmth of the light. This was beauty, she thought. This was what would save her now.

The light, as it turned out, wasn't as nearly as magnificent as she had thought it to be. The bright, yellow glow radiated from the fluorescent lights of the school. She found herself in the nurse's office, surrounded by TK, Davis, and Cody. She didn't even attempt to pretend that she didn't know what was going on. TK glanced down at her with a knowing look in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Davis looked particularly wary. His brown eyes shown sadly with sincere worry. Kari appreciated his concern.

"I've been better." She admitted, looking up into the eyes of the group around her. Cody looked extremely worried, as did Davis. TK, however, was another story. All the color had been drained from his face, giving him the appearance of an exhausted ghost. He looked positively terrified.

"It wasn't the Dark Ocean again, was it?" Her best friend asked her, staring right into her eyes. She quivered. She was never able to lie to TK. She knew now would not be a good time to start.

"No, but it's not something I want to talk about now." She stared at him meaningfully. In less than a second, he understood. They would talk about this later, in private. At the moment, she wasn't sure she was ready to let the others know what had been haunting for the past couple of weeks.

"You passed out screaming, and you don't want to talk about this now?" Davis exploded. "Kari, something's obviously wrong here. We're your friends. Let us help!" Kari edged away from the group, taken aback by her friend's sudden outburst.

" Davis, stop it." Cody, ever the voice of reason, scolded him. "She obviously doesn't want to talk about it. It's her business. Let her talk about when she's ready." He then turned to the bedridden girl. "You will tell us what's going on eventually, right?" His gaze was sad and distant.

She nodded. "I will, I promise. I'm just…exhausted right now, Cody." She smiled up at them all. "I think I need to get some rest." She hoped they would take the hint.

"Good idea." TK and Cody nodded their agreement. Davis reluctantly went along with them.

"Kari, remember, we're your friends. Please tell us if something's wrong." His voice had lost its abrasive tone, reduced to mere pleading. Kari simply looked away as the nurse ushered the group out of her office.

"That's some group of friends you have there." Nurse Hayashi smiled down at her warmly. "Now, let's take your temperature, dear. You look like you have quite the fever." Kari could only imagine how pale and worn out she looked.

_Like how Gatomon looked after she lost Wizardmon. _Kari thought, as the nurse stuck a thermometer under her tongue. Gatomon. It had been so long since she'd last seen the feline creature. And to think, that it was only a year ago that they had been reunited. She allowed for her thoughts to drift back to the fateful day they'd had to say goodbye.

_"It's not for forever, Kari." Gatomon sounded as though she were trying to convince herself. "You heard Gennai, he said we'd meet again." _

_ "I know, Gatomon." The adolescent girl replied despondently. "But he never said when, where, or why." _

_ "Who cares about the specifics, so long as we're together again someday!" Her most trusted companion looked away from her. "Kari, no matter how long we have to wait to meet again, it'll be nothing compared to the time I spent first waiting for you." _

_ Kari clenched her fists, fighting back tears. "That was a long time, huh?" _

_"You bet it was. And then _he _entered my life." The catlike creature spat at the memory of her former master. "I know I'll never have to wait for anything that long again in my life." _

_ Kari stayed silent for awhile, taking in the last few moments with Gatomon. "I still think it's going to feel like forever." Sorrow made her voice stumble over the last few words. "Oh, Gatomon!" She scooped up the feline in her arms, as though she planned never to let go. _

_ "Kari, I'm going to miss you too. But you've got to go soon, so would you mind putting me down?" The girl reluctantly granted her request. _

_ "Alright." Suddenly, an idea dawned on her. "Hey, Gatomon, do you think I could take your picture?" _

Kari opened her eyes to catch a glimpse of her own ceiling. _Oh man. I must've passed out again. _She sighed. She knew this was going too far. She had to let somebody know, as much as she didn't want to get anyone else involved with the darkness devouring her.

She looked at the clock, hoping that school would be out soon so that she could talk to her brother, and possibly call TK. The silence was driving her insane. It was then that she realized she missed Gatomon more than ever. Whenever she was around her digimon partner, no matter what the circumstances, the world around her seemed a much lighter place. She turned her head to the side, where, on her dresser, she'd placed that photograph. Big, blue eyes smiled back at her. Kari wanted to believe that somehow, in that picture, Gatomon's presence had been preserved. But the more closely she looked at it, the more distanced she felt from her close friend.

Light, her crest. The element she'd been chosen to represent. At that moment, it seemed to be fading. All her thoughts spiraled around the idea of what could possibly be drawing her to that damn wall all the time. She wished desperately that she could find some meaning in all of this, even without her digimon here to guide her.

"Kari!" The girl had to refrain from screaming. Her brother's voice had scared what little daylight she had left in her. Minutes later, her older brother entered the room. Tall, dark, and handsome, or so she'd heard many girls say, her brother, the courageous soccer player, had no problem calling attention to himself. As stubborn and as hardheaded as she herself could be at times, there was no doubting that they were siblings.

Next to him, much to her surprise, and, she admitted, strange delight, stood TK, the boy of hope. In his hands, he clutched what looked to be like the work she'd missed. His blonde hair and blue eyes looked angelic in comparison with Tai's dark traits. Kari had to suppress her quickened heartbeat. His eyes were so blue, so much like the waters of an ocean in one of her photographs. It was hard not to drown in them, she figured.

"Kari? You're staring off into space again." She jerked forward at the sound of fear in TK's voice. Now was not the time to be thinking about those types of things, she had to sternly remind herself.

"Sorry, I was daydreaming." She confessed. _About you, _she added silently, before reprimanding herself. She saw that both boys had equally anxious looks upon their faces. She knew now was not the time to be dwelling on anyone's eyes, no matter how pretty they looked. "I suppose I should tell what's been going on." She reluctantly met their gazes. The amount of concern she found humbled her somewhat, but it also made her anxious. She hated seeing other people upset, especially when it had something to do with her.

"Yeah, I suppose you should." Tai replied, coming over to take a seat on her bed. TK politely stayed behind, leaning casually on the doorframe for support.

"Kari, we're not going to judge you, or anything." TK started, looking straight at her. "We all care about you, and we're all really worried. But please, don't feel like you have to tell us anything. Do it because you want to, not because you have to." She smiled gratefully up at him. Wait. She squinted. Was she imagining things, or did TK look as equally as tired as she felt? She shrugged it off for the moment.

"Thanks, TK. But it's time I told someone. I need to." Her words subdued her smile. "Besides, I think this might have something to do with the Digital World."

Both Tai and TK froze. The younger boy immediately removed himself from his comfortable position as the oldest of the three of them sat up straight. Her words were as the ripples of a stone thrown into a pond, continually casting circles, drawing those she held dear into her world gone lopsided.

"The Digital World? Kari, are you sure?" Tai stared at her in disbelief. It had only been about a year since they'd last returned from the Digiworld; he could hardly believe that it would call them back so soon.

Kari looked over to TK, wanting to see his reaction to all of this. She was startled by the intensity of his gaze upon her. They pinned her to her spot upon the bed with all of the vehement emotion she found in them. It was as if he were trying to communicate with her through his eyes.

But now that she had spoken the words out loud, Kari was absolutely positive that her entire ordeal had everything to do with the Digiworld. "Yes, Tai. I'm absolutely sure." She looked away for a moment, thinking of how delicately she wanted to put this. "There's something there that's calling me back. Tai, TK." She looked at them both, intense realization burning brightly in her eyes. "I think it's time for us, all of us, to go back."

---

"Boom Bubble!" Gatomon looked overhead to find Patamon attempting to attack the wayward Dracomon chasing after her. She watched the impact of it bounce of the rookie's turquoise chest as though it were nothing. She cringed, as she resumed running as fast as her paws could carry her. She didn't understand it. How could a mere rookie be so strong?

It had only been that morning that she'd been lounging around with Patamon, Veemon, and Armadillomon. Out of nowhere, a multitude of digimon appeared, some rookie, others champion, all seemingly unified by the idea of attacking them. Gatomon didn't understand it at all. For a year now, peace and prosperity had reigned over the Digital World. That very morning, all of the work put into ridding the Digiworld of its troubles came to naught.

"Patamon, get away from there! He's too strong for you!" She shouted over her shoulder, having noticed out of the corner of her eye that her close friend had yet to make a getaway himself.

"I'll be fine!" The flying creature responded, in the midst of fighting the other digimon off. "You get out of here, I can take him!"

_Like hell you can, Patamon. _She sighed._ Are all mon this stubborn?_ She refused to runaway at the sake of one her dearest friends. She quickly pivoted, prepared to fight. Surely, if they worked together, they'd be able to easily overcome that poor excuse of a dragon.

"I'm staying with you, Patamon. I've had enough of running away." With that, Gatomon furiously leapt into the air, drawing her paw back with all of the force she could muster. "Lightning Paw!" Her attack hit the Dracomon dead on, in the center of his exposed chest. The beast roared in agony. She grinned triumphantly. She had found his weak spot.

"Patamon!" She cried out to her friend, who was hovering in the sky. "Aim for his chest, that's his weak point!" But before she could say anything more, before she could strike him with another hit, Dracomon quickly recovered enough to hit her with an attack of his own.

"Baby breath!" A fiery blast of energy caught her completely off-guard. She shrieked as it scorched her fur. It was incendiary; it had even managed to singe the skin beneath it. She fell to the ground, clutching at her wound in pain. "Ah!"

"Gatomon!" Patamon called out to her, but it was of no use. She was fading fast. _I wish Kari was here with me. _She thought. _Then I'd be able to digivolve, and I wouldn't be so useless to Patamon right now. _From far away, she thought she thought she heard another cry of agony.Soon, she was aware only of the whispers of the darkness around her.


	3. Children of Eden

**Author's Note**: Another update. As I'm on vacation this week, they should stay pretty frequent, more so than usual, hopefully. However, don't expect updates to remain this consitent. As it is almost the end of senior year for me, I'm going to be pretty tied down with senior project, graduation, and preparing for college.

On a different note, thank you, again, reviewers, for all of your kind words. It really means a lot to me that you've taken the time to provide feedback.

This chapter is pretty long, just a warning. Usually, I don't include as much as this in one chapter, but for mood purposes, this length seems a perfect fit. Also, there is a lot of mythological influence in this chapter, as well as some allusion to the movie, _Pan's Labyrinth_.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon, or its characters, just as much as I don't own the concept of the labyrinth, or any of the ideals I've incorporated from the sources I've already mentioned. This was written for recreational purposes only.

* * *

"Oh my God. Kari…" Tai just stared at her, completely speechless, for once in his life. Kari turned her focus to TK, wondering what he had to say about it. She found herself startled by the grim recognition etched across his face. His eyes gave the air of being haunted.

"Why…why didn't you tell us sooner?" He looked directly at her, making her feel instinctively guilty. He had a point. She really had no reason to keep this from them for so long. But wait.

She snapped her head to look back up at TK. She couldn't believe she hadn't really noticed it before. Like her, his skin had sunken into a sort of pallor, one that only came from sleep deprivation. She squinted to take a closer look. Also like her, shades of violet-black adorned his eyes, as subtle as extravagant stage make-up. She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but the silence was absolutely killing her. Moments later, instinct gave her a voice.

"TK, have you been dreaming about this too?" She noticed his flinch at the hint of accusation in her tone. She immediately had her answer. He hesitantly turned to look at her, square in the eye.

"Yeah, actually, I have." He admitted. "I just started recently having these dreams, though, so my reactions haven't been quite as strong as yours." She looked at him pointedly.

"And why haven't _you _said anything?" She glared at him. At the very least, it was a comfort to know that she wasn't suffering alone. She grimaced at that thought. How could she be so selfish? She really wished she was the only one involved. She couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to TK because of the circumstances they currently found themselves in.

He sighed. "Pretty much for the same reasons you've never told anyone. I didn't want to get anyone involved, and plus, I was pretty sure everyone would think I'd gone crazy…"

"It isn't crazy." Tai spoke up, looking intently at both TK and Kari. "It's the Digital World. And I'm willing to bet that your crests have something to do with this."

"Our crests?" Kari looked at him in confusion. "But those are long gone. Why us?"

"Come on Kari! Think about what the both of you represent: hope and light, the ultimate foils of darkness. Neither of you have ever needed the crests to reaffirm that." Tai's gaze was making her uncomfortable. From the looks of it, it was having a similar effect on TK as well. "My best guess is that this has something to do with the Digital World. Possibly, a new evil has already gained power." By this point, the older boy was talking to himself.

"So what should we do about it, then?" TK asked, speaking Kari's mind. She really wanted this whole ordeal to end. Unfortunately, as with most everything else digital, that possibility was highly unlikely.

"Isn't it obvious? We have to go back, like Kari said." Tai answered, his head now cradled between his hands. "And you two have got to tell the others what's been going on. They deserve to know, too." He looked up at them, a serious expression masking his normal, happy-go-lucky type of mood.

TK turned to look at Kari. "Are you feeling better? Since this morning, I mean?"

"Actually, I am. Talking about it really has helped." She grinned up at him weakly. "But I'm still exhausted. I really need to sleep, but…"

"You're afraid of what will happen if you do?" TK supplied, finishing her sentence. She nodded her agreement. "I don't blame you."

---

A lanky figurine stood surrounded by the shadows of a castle. Tall, dark, and strangely beautiful, she appeared as though she had a reputation for blatant cruelty. Known as Discordiamon, she represented everything chaotic. Her short, black hair and her skin, shaded a gentle kind of green, gave her the appearance of some kind of wood nymph. The violet wings protruding from her back only helped to enhance this image, which always threw other digimon off, of course. For some reason that she could not fathom, most everyone assumed that fairies and nymphs alike were supposed to be nice. A wicked smile curved her pretty, rose petal lips when she thought about it.

Usually, she took up work for some rebel army or another, acting as a mercenary, of sorts, causing a ruckus or two for the opposing side. She struck in silence, when the enemy least expected it. She acted as a double agent, for both the dark and the light. She took her pride in her work. Despite the fact that it was incredibly easy to get other Digimon to trust her, it remained difficult to keep up her work, considering how fast rumors had spread of her infamous reputation.

She scowled. Now, no one would hire her out. They'd heard one too many stories for their liking, they said. She seethed at the thought of how she'd been forced into early retirement. If there was one thing she hated the most, it was serenity. Having peace restored to the Digital World had been the equivalent, for her, of the world ending. She despised it. Peace was boring. Why anyone would want it, she didn't know.

Now, she worked as a guardian, of sorts. Her piercing, alert gaze swept across the barren landscape of the labyrinth as she perched upon the edge of a particularly tall tower. She sighed, impatient. Boredom had settled in, like the pollen in the air around her. She itched for some kind of distraction from the insipidness of it all. Anything would do, no matter how trivial it appeared to be.

"Discordiamon! Imagine, you, working here?" She yelped at the sound of the stranger's voice. Angered, she spun hastily around to face the source of it. She knew that voice from somewhere…

Of course. She growled. Panmon. She should have known. The humanoid creature, with the chest of a human male, as well as the horns, fur, and hind legs of a goat, stood at a little more than half her height. Unfortunately for her, it was the one triumph she could claim over him. Panmon, whom she'd known since she'd digivolved to her current, champion form, was far more powerful than he appeared. As an ultimate level digimon, he was supposedly feared by even those of the mega level. It was said that he'd surpassed even the Dark Masters with his cleverness and charm, and that he'd defeated (quite easily) wild WarGreymons on a whim. He was, she knew, a force to be reckoned with.

"Yes, unfortunately. I have no other options left, so why the Hades not?" She replied, looking away from him irritably, though, secretly, she was glad that Panmon had interrupted the sullen silence around her. "Let me guess, you're the mastermind behind this labyrinth?"

He chuckled, amused at her response. "As a matter of fact, I designed and built this place myself. But I was commissioned, so to speak. The master owns this place, as it is."

She snorted, darkly. "The master owns everything, doesn't he?" His master was the same as hers. Though she'd been hired by him, never once had she ever laid an eye upon her lord, who claimed that one day, he would rule over all, digital and otherwise. She found it strange that he'd never revealed himself, talking only through his most trusted henchmen. But then, it didn't really matter. She had a secure position, and she had shelter. She needed nothing else.

"I suppose." For once, Panmon's normally mischievous manner was subdued. "I was merely hired to make this out of the ruins of his old palace, supposedly."

She turned to face him fully. "I don't understand the master. At all." Apart from shrouding himself in secrecy, the master gave orders of a strange nature, which, of course, everyone was expected to follow.

He nodded his agreement. "Neither do I." For awhile, they remained there, together, in silence. The day was quickly fading. Discordiamon was staring at the sun as it set. From her distance, it looked as though it were bleeding to death. She twitched. She needed to do something, damn it, before she imploded from frustration.

"It's amazing." Panmon remarked, staring right at her…chest. She rolled her eyes. She wasn't even bothered by it, anymore. She supposed it was partly her fault; she was scantily clad in a ripped gown colored like bark. "You haven't gone completely mad yet." He smirked at her. Was that a challenge she heard in his voice?

"Yeah, well. I'm on the verge of it, don't worry." She quipped, staring right back at him. She hadn't noticed before that, even for a monster half-covered in fur, he was pretty decent looking. "Want to give me something to do? I'm sure I could get one of the Floramon to cover the rest of my shift." Her smile had transformed into something seductive.

He grinned back at her playfully. "Now, what would the master have to say about that?"

"Yes, indeed." A cold, sinister voice coiled into their conversation, serpentine and smooth. "I wonder what the master would say if he found his minions disobeying orders." They both hastily pivoted to find an elegant lady digimon standing behind them. Lilithmon, Discordiamon realized. They were completely in for it.

"As the master's most faithful servant, I believe it is only right that I administer punishment upon the both of you fools." Lilithmon towered above even Discordiamon. Garbed in shreds of ebony and amethyst, she epitomized the appearance of an eloquent demon queen. Armed with short, stubby batwings, it didn't appear as though she could get very far in the air. Of course, that assumption was wrong, Discordiamon realized, when she had first met the fallen, mega-level digimon. Lilithmon was a master of the sky just as much as she was of the ground; hence why she'd been able to catch them off guard so easily. Discordiamon hardly trusted, let alone liked, her. She'd only allowed herself to be recruited for a lack of anything better to do. Now it seemed, her carelessness in such matters was catching up with her.

"This is no time to be ignoring me, Discordiamon! You forget who took you in while you were shunned everywhere else!" Lilithmon snarled. She flinched. She had been spacing out, which only made the situation worse. "It's time the both of you set straight where your true loyalties lie! Dark Charm!" Neither Discordiamon, nor Panmon could prepare for the onslaught of darkness that engulfed them within seconds.

"Ah!" She screamed as pain spread throughout her body, like some epic plague, some never-ending, horrible disease. Her entire world submitted to a cold, cruel obsidian. She felt as though she were birthing a new being entirely. She crumpled to the ground, helpless to the sinister smog consuming her.

After what felt like an eternity, Discordiamon finally rose, transformed, reborn. Where once light had flirted through her pale, blue eyes, now, only jaded cobalt shone. Her hair, once cropped, had lengthened, and had been arranged around a coronet of thorns. She felt more beautiful now, as though she had a greater sense of purpose. For, as much as she had changed on the outside, she had also been transformed on the inside. She still abhorred peace, but now, she'd come to appreciate the silence. She detested cheer, and instead, favored destitution. She discovered a thirst for anarchy, destruction. She'd come into fruition as her true self, the deliverer of chaos.

Panmon, also, had been molded, she saw. He stood slightly taller now, with dark red fur in place of the cheery brown that had once been there. His eyes were smoldering. Lust for anything but the pleasure of his master disintegrated into dust. He stood as proud as a warrior. Together, they had both been united for the cause of darkness.

Lilithmon observed them carefully, looking for any flaws or faults. Satisfied by the compliance in their eyes, she spoke. "Much better, my servants. Now. Prepare yourselves. The digidestined should be arriving soon. Master will expect you to be ready."

"Yes, mistress." Discordiamon bowed her head respectfully. Night, at last, had truly fallen.

---

Patamon awoke to a distilled darkness. He'd barely managed to fend off Dracomon while trying to keep Gatomon safe. After escaping the dragon-like being, he'd managed to find shelter in what looked to be like an abandoned tree house, only hesitating long enough to deem it safe or not. It'd passed inspection, only because he didn't have the energy to fly on, especially while carrying an unconscious Gatomon. He sighed; looking beside him to make sure his friend was alright.

They'd been through a lot together, the both of them, from when they both first met, back when she was still working for Myotismon, to the lazy days they'd been spending together since their respective human partners had returned to the real world. Patamon knew the feline digimon had been through an awful lot on her own, as well. She had lost her dearest friend when Wizardmon sacrificed himself for the sake of her and Kari. She had almost lost her true identity when Myotismon had first recruited her as a part of his Nightmare Army.

Still, Patamon couldn't remember a time when he'd seen the cat creature this badly injured. He was extremely worried as he watched over her, eyeing the dark burns on her fur warily. They looked serious, which only further fueled his concern. He had absolutely no medical experience. How was he supposed to help her?

He didn't want to leave her alone; that he knew. She was vulnerable, exposed like this. No, he needed to stay with her. To protect her, as he was sure she would do for him if he were ever hurt. He needed to watch over her in case any other wayward digimon came looking for them. Little did he know of the strange presence lurking in the shadows.

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?" Patamon jumped up from his position. The intrusion of the voice scared him witless. He turned frantically, looking for the source. Finally, to his amazement, he found it over in one the shadowed corners.

"Wizardmon?" His mouth was a gape. How could it possibly be? "B-but how? Why? When?" He was stuttering, utterly at a loss for words, at once, both shocked, and overjoyed.

"I'll explain later. First, please tell me what happened." The scarecrow-like figure stepped forward from the shadows, revealing his full form, his eyes focused on the unconscious cat lying on the floor.

Patamon looked down to Gatomon, then back up to Wizardmon. He knew Wizardmon deserved the truth. And besides, he shivered; he probably was able to read minds anyway. Patamon reasoned that it would be best just to explain everything to the wizard openly.

"Well, we were relaxing over in one of the fields by Primary Village." He began, thinking of how to word his experience. Out of habit, he brought one paw up to his chin, but winced immediately once it had come into contact with his face. He imagined it was bruised, at the very least. It was a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Wizardmon. "It was sunny out, a perfect day. We were all catnapping, when out of nowhere, a bunch of digimon came out and attacked us. We had to scatter. I don't even know what happened to Veemon and Armadillomon."

The exhausted digimon threw himself on the ground, fatigued and upset, wincing yet again as another jolt of pain racked his small body. "But Gatomon and I managed to stay together. We were chased by a Dracomon. It was weird, because Dracomon's only at the rookie level, same as me." He looked at Wizardmon meaningfully. "For some reason, he seemed to possess the strength of a champion. I tried fighting him off; I wanted Gatomon to get to safety. But she insisted on staying behind." He sighed.

"That's Gatomon for you." Wizardmon interjected knowingly.

"She managed to hurt him pretty badly, but he recovered quickly." He gestured to the burns upon the feline's form as evidence. "She was burned pretty badly. I barely was able to distract Dracomon long enough to make a getaway." He sighed. "Then I passed out. I only woke up just a few minutes ago."

Wizardmon remained silent, gradually digesting all of what he'd recently been told. He walked over to Gatomon, kneeling to get a closer look at her injuries. "This looks serious, but I can help." He looked over at Patamon. "You need some medical attention yourself, Patamon."

"I'm okay, Wizardmon. It's Gatomon who you should be worried about." Patamon was hardly convincing as he winced yet again.

Wizardmon shook his head, not in the least bit fooled. "From what I can see, you're just as hurt as she is. Not to mention, you're exhausted. Let me take care of Gatomon first, and then I'll take a closer look at your wounds."

Patamon sighed, admitting defeat. "Alright." He stayed quiet for a moment, before realization dawned on him. "Hey! You never explained how you even were brought back to life!"

Wizardmon looked at him meaningfully. "It really does have to wait for later, Patamon. Gatomon needs to hear it, and so do the digidestined, when they arrive, as well. I'd rather not have to explain myself more than once."

"Wait!" Patamon scratched his head, confused. "The digidestined? Why are they coming back to the Digiworld? I thought peace had been restored, and all threats of evil eliminated…"

"What happened today should serve as a good explanation as for why." Wizardmon answered, maintaining most of his focus on his old friend. "Evil has been detected lurking around the ruins of Nightmare Castle. From what I've heard, if rumor is to be believed, the entire grounds have been reconstructed into something of a labyrinth." He looked up briefly at Patamon. "Whoever this new enemy is, he's already gathered renegade armies, and has begun his conquest by taking a hold of certain areas in the Digital World. Certainly, he has a hold of almost the entirety of Server." He looked back at Gatomon somewhat despondently. "From what others have told me, supposedly the members of this army have been genetically enhanced somehow. And now, after hearing the story of your encounter with Dracomon, I don't doubt it."

Patamon sighed, frustrated, and tired beyond words. "It's only been a year. Why can't evil ever give it a rest?"

Wizardmon shook his head sadly in agreement. "That's what I would like to know."


	4. The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows

**Author's Note**: This chapter is shorter than the last one. All of the chapters will vary in length in this piece, best suited to where I think the ending best fits.

I forgot to mention this earlier, but there will be some original digimon featured in this. However, they will strictly be digimon, and not humans. Most of which are primarily based off of mythology. Also mentioned before, there is also romance in this, human and otherwise. Yes, this is a TK/Kari piece, but, without giving too much away, that won't be coming until later. This is not fluff, by any means. Most of the romance in this will center around some darkness.

Also, bear with the use of the American nicknames. I'm just more comfortable with using them as opposed to the original Japanese. It's a personal preference.

Once again, thank you to all of those who take the time to even read this. It means a lot to me that people are even glancing at my stuff to begin with. It might be awhile for my next update. As I've mentioned before, for the most part, updates for this will be inconsistent, depending on the room I have in my schedule to work on this.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon, or its characters, just as much as I don't own the concept of the labyrinth, or any of the ideals I've incorporated from the sources I've already mentioned. This was written for recreational purposes only.

* * *

He was facing the wall, for what seemed like the millionth time. He tried to resist its allure, whatever coy darkness was calling him forward. But it was no use. His body and mind seemed divided by a great schism; they did not act as one. TK hoped he would awaken soon, just as he always had. A chill had crept up on him, as discreet as the breath of a carnivorous spider. His bones felt like ice, frigid, and statuesque. As he found himself pulled closer and closer to the wall, what gray light around him was left disappeared into nothingness.

Suddenly, a scream, distinctly feminine, sliced through the air, shrill and desperate. He tried to turn, out of instinct, but found himself paralyzed. Half of him, he discovered with a yelp of his own, had already disappeared into the giant wall. He struggled, trying to pull away, but to no avail. The wall had swallowed him whole. He cringed, as if anticipating vast amounts of pain. Then, it hit him. A turbulent gust of vehement wind wound itself around him, cradling him in its violence. He watched as his white hat danced away from his grasp. He firmly placed all of his weight onto the ground as a means of resistance while shutting his eyes, trying to focus on the task at hand.

That same chill that had haunted him earlier returned tenfold, forcing him to open his eyes. This time, he couldn't help but scream. Emerging from the shadows, two fangs, long, and sharp, like a pair of swords, glinted in the darkness. Attached to them was a form that at once seemed both foreign and familiar to TK. He fought against the invisible current moving him ever forward, ever closer to the figure cloaked in silhouettes.

"TK!" A familiar voice in the distance resonated within him. He tried to turn to it, only to be stopped by a sinister sense of defeat when, once again, some invisible force held him in his place.

"TK!" Another voice, again, familiar, came to him, as if on an ocean breeze. He tried to grasp it. He wanted to shout back, to acknowledge that he was okay. He cringed as only soundless words leaked from his mouth. All of his screaming had seemingly turned him mute.

"TK!" Finally, the most familiar, and most welcomed voice of all seemed to break whatever spell held him. Unlike its predecessors, this voice sounded distinctly feminine. In fact, if he thought about it, it resembled closely the scream he'd heard earlier. He turned around, and when he had next regained a sense of coherency, found himself lying on the ground, staring up at a myriad of worried faces. Relief washed over his body when he realized that he had yet to yield to the dark forces after him.

He focused in to see all of the Digidestined above him, with the exception of Mimi, who still resided in America. Each and every one of them appeared particularly ashen. Ken, especially, looked horrified, as did Matt and Tai. The look on Kari's face almost halted the beating of his heart. Grim recognition dawned on him. They were still at the elementary school playground, their usual meeting spot.

He remembered arriving not too long ago, feeling slightly faint. Kari had already been waiting for him and the rest of the group. He recalled seizing the opportunity to ask if she was okay. She'd answered in the affirmative, much to his relief. On the other hand, his condition only seemed to be getting worse. He remembered struggling to maintain consciousness for awhile, while the other digidestined slowly filtered onto the empty playground. It had to have been then, he realized, that he'd succumbed to his dreams.

"What happened?" He muttered as he tried to sit up. He collapsed on the ground after moments of trying to rectify himself using only his arms. Davis and Joe leaned over to help get him back to his feet. "Thanks." He murmured as they maintained their grip on him.

"That was frightening, TK." Sora glanced at him from her place within Matt's embrace. She looked just as pale as her boyfriend, his older brother, did. "You just…fainted."

"Fainted isn't the word for it." Ken muttered darkly, clearly shaken, looking away.

"You were screaming." Added Cody, somewhat subdued by his friend's recent collapse. "And you were twitching, even after you'd passed out." As the youngest member of the group, he looked particularly perturbed about that aspect of the incident.

"We had just finished explaining to the others about the dreams we both keep having." Kari finally spoke up, her eyes downcast, and damp, as though she'd been about to cry. "And you…you just collapsed, TK!" She flung herself at him, gripping his soldiers as the other boys kept him steady.

"Kari." TK tried to speak, but the girl was practically strangling him. "Kari, I can't breathe!" She released him at once upon this proclamation.

"I'm sorry." She clasped her arms together, embarrassed. "It's just…it was frightening, watching you go down like that."

"What was scarier was when you were screaming." Joe commented while still holding onto his friend. "I've never seen anything like that in my life."

"We've got to do something!" Matt exclaimed, shaking himself free from Sora's embrace. "Whatever the hell is sending Kari and TK those dreams has to be stopped." Determination added stark shadows to the rock star's already darkened face, giving him the appearance of a starved wolf. Fittingly enough, TK thought, considering his brother's digimon partner.

"Matt, calm down." Izzy spoke up from his position on a swing, poised thoughtfully as he tried to make sense of the situation. "We need to figure out the significance to these dreams before we can do anything else."

"Calm down?! Did you not just see what those damn dreams did to my little brother?" The other boy shuddered with apparent rage, clenching his fists in frustration. "We have to stop this before it's too late!"

"Izzy, I'm with Matt on this one. Kari's also at risk, and we can't afford to lose either of them." Tai spoke up, tension etched across his face. "We don't have time for dream interpretations at the moment."

"We can't just rush into things!" Izzy argued. "And the way I see it, if we analyze TK and Kari's dreams, we should be able to determine the overall severity of the situation."

"Izzy's right." Ken glanced around at the sullen group before him. "As bizarre as these dreams are, we can't just ignore them. Especially if we want to help TK and Kari. We need to approach this cautiously. There may be more at stake than any of us realize."

"Alright, fine." Tai grumbled, resting his head in his hands in defeat. Matt, however, wasn't going down without a fight.

"Izzy, I appreciate what you're saying and all, but really. We need to find a way to end this, and fast!" Matt growled. TK sighed. His older brother always did let his emotions get the best of him.

"Matt." Sora intervened, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The only way we're going to be able to help your brother and Kari is if we listen to Izzy. If we figure out what they've been dreaming about, we might be able to find a solution." She spun him around to face her. "And that's certainly more productive than getting into arguments with everyone!"

The older boy sighed. He hated being wrong, especially in matters concerning the well being of his younger brother, that much was obvious from the pained expression on his face. He reluctantly admitted defeat in the wake of his girlfriend's tirade. "Alright, but hurry, damn it. Who knows when TK, or Kari, even, could collapse again?"

Yolei, having witnessed the clash from a bit of a distance, spoke up quietly. "My older brother used to be really into dream interpretation. Having sat through an infinite amount of his lectures, I can probably be of some help here." She kept her eyes on the ground, as if she didn't want to be seen.

"That would be fantastic, Yolei." Izzy piped up from behind his computer screen. "Now, Kari, TK. Describe this wall the both of you keep seeing. Is there anything else of note we should know about?"

TK, from between Joe and Davis, tried to think back to the awful world he'd just been pulled out of. "Not really. There's always a lot of fog in my dreams, so I can never see much of anything else but that damn wall." He admitted.

"The fog is probably significant." Yolei commented, adjusting her glasses as she spoke. "From what my brother told me, fog represents the unknown, or something purposely hidden."

"My guess would be that whoever has been sending you these dreams has been using the fog as a means to cloak himself." Izzy murmured, so quietly that even Cody, who'd been standing right next to him, had trouble hearing him.

"But there's stuff on the wall!" Kari jumped in seconds later. "Weird drawings and symbols. It's bizarre. It looks like something ancient."

"Can you remember any of these symbols?" Tai demanded. "I'm no shrink, but I'm willing to bet those are pretty important."

"Not really." TK confessed. "There's a lot of them, but for the most part, I really don't think I can define the majority of them with words." He concentrated, hoping that something might possibly come to him. Just his luck, he couldn't remember a blasted thing.

"Wait." Kari spoke up, brown eyes wide with realization. "I remember one of them! It was somewhat large, and in the center of the wall. It looked like a circle with a flower in the middle, only…" She paused, trying to describe the symbol. "It reminded me of a maze, almost."

"Wait, did it look like this?" Izzy inquired, beckoning Kari over to his laptop. TK followed as well, after assuring both Davis and Joe that he'd be fine. He'd regained his sense of balance, and felt like he was no longer burdened by exhaustion. On the screen appeared a picture that matched the child of light's description word for word. She gasped.

"Yeah, that's exactly it!"

"I remember that now." TK muttered, staring intently at the pattern displayed upon the screen. He wondered how he could've ever forgotten it. It was strangely beautiful, in a way that was familiar to him. He swore he could've seen it before. "Wait. Why does it look so familiar? You know, besides appearing in our dreams."

"That's the symbol for the labyrinth." Yolei spoke up. Everyone turned to stare at her. "My brother was also really into patterns and weird stuff like that." She explained plaintively, toying with her long hair.

"Yolei's right." Izzy said, glancing up from his computer screen to address the entire group. "The wall in TK and Kari's dreams probably, I would guess, leads to a labyrinth of some sort."

"And all of this is in the Digital World?" Cody asked.

The older boy nodded. "I don't see why it wouldn't be, considering how strongly it's affecting two digidestined."

"It's so beautiful." Kari whispered, her eyes still stuck to the image that haunted her in her sleep. The gentleness of her voice seemed to isolate the both of them in their own little world. TK couldn't help but agree.

"It is beautiful, but it wants something from us." He reminded her of the severity of their situation. She shuddered at the reality of it.

"Yeah, and you, in particular." He stood captivated by her stern gaze. Finally, he turned away, unable to bear how lovely she seemed, even in her agitated state.

Little did the both of them know of the dark eyes diligently watching them from the shadows of another world.


	5. Through the Garden Gates

**Author's Note**: I like playing around with different perspectives, so expect more of that in this part, as well as upcoming chapters. I'm trying to involve as much of the characters as I can, although Kari and TK, along with their respective digimon, as well as the villain-that-shall-not-be-named, are the primary focus. I really want to write from the point of view of less popular characters, as I believe their insight adds flavor to a story.

Yes, Wizardmon's alive in this. He's one of my absolute favorite characters from the series, so I had to have him in this someway. Don't worry, an explanation as to how he was able to come back to life will come up at some point within the next couple of chapters.

Once again, thank you to everyone who reviews and reads. It means a lot to me. As I am now off break, my main focus is finishing my senior year of high school. This story of course, will still be updated. But expect updates less frequently, and with less consistency. Thank you.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon, or its characters, just as much as I don't own the concept of the labyrinth, or any of the ideals I've incorporated from the sources I've already mentioned. This was written for recreational purposes only.

* * *

Gatomon awoke to the sight of a mon she'd never thought she'd get the chance to see again. Brilliant emeralds watched her from above, floating like clouds before her blurred vision. Was that? Could it be? But how? He'd died in the real world. Was it actually possible that he could, in fact, have found some way to get around the loophole and be reborn in the Digiworld?

"Slow down, Gatomon. I can only take so many questions at once." Her best friend, whom she'd long since taken for dead, smiled at her through his eyes, a playful tone adding a chimerical quality to his voice. She tried to restrain herself from screaming, but to no avail.

"Wizardmon!" She pounced on him immediately, positively thrilled. She couldn't suppress the growing smile gradually spreading itself across her face. Temporarily, she forgot that she'd ever been injured by Dracomon, or that she'd even been chased in the first place. All she cared about right now stood before her, dressed in rags and carrying a staff that looked as though it were crafted for royalty.

"It's good to see you, my old friend." He murmured, embracing her in a tight hug. She snuggled against him. It seemed almost too good to be true, but somehow, here he was, the mon that had given his life for her, alive and well. "But if you'll excuse me, I still have your friend to attend to." At these words, she reluctantly let him go to turn around and find Patamon panting heavily on the floor. She paled visibly.

"What happened?" She gasped, taking in the small digimon's quaking form. She couldn't remember much from after she'd been practically incinerated by Dracomon's attacks.

"Well, firstly, from what he told me himself, he carried you here while trying to fend off Dracomon." Wizardmon kept his gaze on the injured creature in question. "At first glance, I didn't think the injuries were too serious. But then he left, just a while ago, in fact, to see if he could catch wind of the whereabouts on any of the other chosen digimon. He returned just a moment before you woke up, and I'm afraid something unpleasant must've met him on his way back." He made his way over to Patamon, a sad look in his eyes, before turning back to Gatomon. "I'm going to need some help, but I am more than confident that he'll turn out to be alright."

Gatomon hurriedly made her way over to her fallen friend. She flinched at the sight of his condition. Close up, he looked far worse than at first glance. She felt a wave of guilt wash over her, clashing against the shores of her usually stubborn nature. This was partially her fault, she felt, looking down at her close friend's battered form.

"Gatomon, it's not your fault." She looked up, caught off guard by the fact that her friend could expertly read minds. She felt as exposed as the pages of an open book before him. He always did know her so well. "He put himself on the line to protect you. You had been critically injured. You were helpless, not to mention, vulnerable. He didn't act upon anything other than his own devotion to you, my friend, and that, certainly, is no fault of your own." His gentle gaze warmed her somewhat.

"Yeah, but if I hadn't been so helpless, then he wouldn't be like this now." She remarked sadly, looking away from Wizardmon. "And if I hadn't been so helpless all those years ago, then you wouldn't have been killed."

"Don't be ridiculous, Gatomon." He sternly reprimanded her. "You have nothing to be guilty of, back then, or right now. Patamon and I respectively made the choice to endanger ourselves. Beating yourself up over incidents from the past only makes things worse."

Gatomon sighed, then turned to face her dearest friend. "You're absolutely right, and I know that, but..." She clenched her fists in frustration before gradually allowing them to come undone. "It's always been hard for me to let these sorts of things go, especially after _him._" She spat the last word as if it were coated in poison, knowing that Wizardmon would need no elaboration as to who she meant by 'him.'

"I know it isn't easy, Gatomon." He agreed. "No one ever said it would be. For now, I think its best we help Patamon." He knelt down beside the injured digimon, eyes appraisingly glancing over the various marks and bruises scattered upon his body. "But please don't disregard the fact that you have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Gatomon." The weak creature finally spoke up casting his gaze upon his friend, his once vibrant blue eyes now severely dulled by the intensity of his pain. "Don't blame yourself for this. I'll be fine, you'll see." Having spoken that, he succumbed to Wizardmon's magic, which slowly began filtering around him, leading him into a mild sleep.

"Just rest now, Patamon." Wizardmon whispered, making use of his staff as a means of enhancing the healing spells he was now casting. Gatomon looked on, ready for when Wizardmon would call upon for help. For now, she realized reluctantly, all she could really do was wait.

---

It was the perfect New York afternoon, or at least, so it appeared to Mimi Tachikawa. Staring longingly out the window at the bright sun and crystalline blue skies, the day seemed to taunt the adolescent as she sat, bored practically to the point of tears, in seventh period English. She sighed, stealing a glance at the clock over in the left corner of the classroom. Class had only just started. She had practically an hour before she would be released. She stifled a groan. She wanted nothing more than to meet up with her friends and hang out in Central Park, later perhaps go shopping. It was too beautiful outside to be cooped up like this, she thought.

Ever since moving to America, Mimi had surprised even herself by maturing a bit. She finally began to ease up on her snobbish outlook on life, replacing it instead with a more balanced point of view of the world around her. She had the drastic move to America to thank for that, she figured. New York City was full of life, full of people. One couldn't judge someone merely by appearance, she'd found. Culture and oddity thrived at the heart of the entirety of her experiences in the Big Apple. It was very much different from Odaiba, which, now, to Mimi, seemed eons away.

Also eons away, at least, to her, was the Digital World. Focusing her gaze back towards the window, a blur of green suddenly caught the crest of sincerity's eye. _Palmon?_ She thought, somewhat startled. But no. She squinted and saw that it was just one of the many random plants littered throughout the room. She sighed again, reminiscing about her past in the Digiworld. To her surprise, she found that she missed it terribly. She closed her eyes, imaging her beloved digimon partner. Palmon had always been able brighten her day. She was the truest friend Mimi had ever known. As optimistic and as uplifting as the plant creature could be, she also knew when to bring Mimi back down to earth. As much as Mimi cared for her friends in America, she also desperately pined for her best friends back home, especially Palmon.

_It's been a year since I've last seen anyone. _She thought, toying with a strand of her hair dyed magenta. _I wonder how they're all doing. _More than anything, she realized, as she sat there, completely ignoring the lesson, she missed the bond that being stuck in the Digital World that had formed between them all. She had never before experienced such a deep connection with anyone.

"Mimi!" At the sound of her name, she started, bringing herself back to reality as she turned to face her teacher. Crap. She inwardly cursed herself. She was in for it now.

"Yes, Mrs. Black?" She put on her best "who, me?" face, and prayed silently that it worked. Unfortunately for her, luck was far from on her side. Mrs. Black casually strolled over, looking particularly unforgiving at that moment. Mimi understood immediately that she was screwed.

"Care to answer the question for us, my dear?" Her tone was mocking, acrid. Mimi cringed before she replied.

"W-what question?" She inquired, twirling her fingers through her hair in an attempt to prove her nonexistent innocence. Inwardly, just from noting the expression on her teacher's face, she knew she stood no chance.

"The question I asked the entire class just a moment ago, or were you not paying any attention?" The woman sneered, causing Mimi to look away in shame. Damn it, she hated Mrs. Black's class.

"No, I wasn't paying attention." She grudgingly admitted, knowing that she'd been found out. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again." How ironic, she thought of the lie. She was supposed to represent the crest of sincerity.

"Ms. Tachikawa, that's what you said yesterday, and the day before that." Mrs. Black glared down at her. "Such insolence is inexcusable! I expect to see you in detention after class today."

Mimi groaned. She had been so looking forward to getting out of the prison known as school. So much for that. Now she'd be stuck cleaning the blackboards, or sweeping the classroom floor. Something stupid like that. She clenched her fists under her desk, trying not to let her frustration show. Yet another perfect day was ruined by one of her many teachers. She'd rather have faced Myotismon again than have to continually deal with the monsters that ran her school.

She managed to worm her way out of the building by five, which was when her mother expected her home. Mimi growled as she shoved open the doors and stepped out into the dying light of day. Her entire afternoon had been wasted because of Mrs. Black. Two hours spent picking the gum of the bottom of the desks, and what did she have to show for it? Memories of a smug English teacher, and the fragrance of mold clinging to her like an actual perfume.

Oh well, she thought, making her way onto the sidewalk crowded with a seemingly endless amount of people. Years of living in a city had helped hone her skills as she expertly swerved around the tell-tale signs of rush hour. She kept up a fairly steady, quick pace. All she wanted now was to just get home.

She had to admit, she'd been acting kind of spacey lately, both in and out of class. Even her friends, airheads though they could be, had begun to pick up on it. More often than not, she found her thoughts reverting back to her days in the Digital World, both recent, and those of four years ago, in the midst of a lecture, or even a casual conversation between friends. She knew it was rather selfish of her, to keep ignoring the real world like that, but she found that she just couldn't help it.

It was when she'd almost reached home, when she was nearing Central Park, that she saw it. She blinked, wondering if it was just her renewed imagination. A gentle, yet prominent, green light flashed in bursts, seemingly from within somewhere in the park. Somewhere inside of compelled her to follow it, as though it were a lighthouse guiding her to shore.

_But I have to get home, or else Mom will probably call the cops. Again. _She shuddered at that particular memory, of when her and her closest American friends had stayed out until nine. Neither of her parents had been particularly pleased about that incident. But still. She couldn't fight the feeling that drew her closer to the light. She was as bound to it as the waves were bound to the shores of the ocean. She began to run as the sensation intensified.

As she drew closer to the light, so the brighter it seemed to glow. Soon bathed in the evergreen illumination, Mimi found herself lifted off the ground, hanging in midair as if controlled by puppet strings. Helpless, and hopelessly frightened, she screamed. But no one could hear her. She looked around and watched as dozens of people passed her by, without so much as a second glance. What was wrong with them?

She didn't understand it. She was levitating off the ground, and no one noticed? _Are all Americans this thick? _She groaned. Surely, someone had to have seen the same light that held her captive now. Either that, or she was truly losing her mind at last.

She didn't have much longer to ponder about her situation. Soon the glow had overcome her, devouring her in its light. Blackness descended upon her with all the wrath of vehement thunder. She closed her eyes in an attempt to block everything out of awareness, soon letting go of what was once her tact reality.

---

"Goodnight, Matt." TK Takashi smiled into the phone as the conversation with his brother died down. He heard his brother sigh on the other end, clearly frustrated, obviously by the situation that had reared its ugly head within the past few days. It had only been a few hours since the disastrous meeting at the park. Matt had insisted on walking him home, and had almost convinced him to stay the night with him at their dad's place. TK had refused, insisting that he was fine.

"Goodnight TK." There was a slight pause as Matt tried to reign in what he was going to say next. "TK, you'll call me if something's wrong, right?"

"Yes Matt." TK practically growled for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. He knew Matt was worried about him, and he understood that he had every right to be. Still, TK was older now. He could look after himself. _Just like at the park tonight, huh? _He grimaced at the bitter thought. He just wanted to hang up and get to bed.

"Look, TK. I know you're older now, and you can take care of yourself. I'm not trying to butt into your life. But I'm still your brother, and I think I deserve to be a little concerned right now, don't you?" His brother sounded annoyed, as he always did whenever they got into little spats such as this.

"I know, Matt." He sighed, deciding that it wasn't worth it to press the issue. He was frustrated enough as it was. "Anyway, I really need to get to bed. I'll call you in the morning. Goodnight." With that, he hung up the phone with a little more force than was necessary.

He knew he was acting a little unreasonable in regards to Matt's behavior. He was his older brother. What did he expect besides a somewhat overprotective outlook towards life? He looked away from the phone as if it were the cause of all his recent misfortune. He had no right to be shutting Matt out from his life like this.

A yawn escaped him moments later, a sullen reminder that he should probably get himself to bed. He hoped that he wouldn't dream of anything that night. He was sick of dreams, he decided. Especially after all of that mumbo jumbo Yolei had been going on about. Still, at least they had some vague idea regarding the dream to begin with. It was better than not knowing anything, he supposed.

He opened the door to his room, out of habit looking towards the bed with the expectation of finding Patamon sprawled out upon it. Reality struck him seconds later as he realized it had been a year since he'd last seen his digimon friend. He sighed sadly, momentarily depressed about the absence of one his dearest friends. But there was nothing he could do about it now. Hastily, he pulled off his clothes and slipped into his pajamas. It had been a long day; he was more than ready to see it end.

As he made his way into bed, he failed to notice the tendrils of shadows, creeping about him like insects as they devoured the space between his body and the bed. He closed his eyes, completely disregarding the artic feeling settling in his stomach, relating it to stress, or something else of that sort. It was only when sleep overcame him that he began to realize that something wasn't right.

His world spun. Like some kind of demented, violent carousel, he was tossed about by wayward winds, indicating to him that he was no longer in his bedroom. Trepidation grasped him suddenly, but before he could so much as scream, the sensations stopped. He reluctantly opened his eyes.

His mouth fell open in shock. Standing with all the pride and might of a giant, stood the wall from his dreams.


	6. Running Up That Hill

**Author's Notes**: First of all, I am so sorry it took me so long to update. As I've mentioned before, I've been busy with school work and other things of that nature. Updates will continue, but again, they are going to remain inconsistent.

Secondly, thank you to all of those who reviewed! It means so much to me that you take the time to read this in the first place. Your feedback is much appreciated. 

In terms of the story, while TK & Kari will eventually become romantically linked, it won't be before a few interesting situations, shall we say. The next chapter will probably have some aspect of slash in it, and there will be other pairings as well, including some common, and others bizarre. Again, this all ties into the multitude of aspects of the story. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it. Just don't say I didn't warn you. This is, after all, an Alternate Universe setting.

As far as the villain goes, I am really not trying to be subtle with who it actually is. For now, I'll say this much: their role in this story is a culmination of the characters Erik and Jareth from "Phantom of the Opera" and "The Labyrinth" respectively. ;)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon, or its characters, just as much as I don't own the concept of the labyrinth, or any of the ideals I've incorporated from the sources I've already mentioned. This was written for recreational purposes only.

* * *

She opened her eyes to the cerulean skies of a bright, spring morning. She bolted up suddenly, cringing as her long hair caught on what felt like a branch. Open sky? She was supposed to be at home, in her bed, trying like hell to avoid her alarm clock. She looked around her warily. Trees. She was surrounded by a seemingly never ending circle of evergreen. She felt panic swiftly flow through her veins as she stood up to get a better look around her. What in the world was going on?

Yolei screamed when a twig snapped from behind her. She whirled, eyes scanning the area for any sign of possible life. Fear sharpened her heartbeat, rushed her breath. She was alone, vulnerable, and quite possibly, there stood something most unfriendly somewhere behind her.

"Yolei!" The girl started. She knew that voice from anywhere, though she couldn't quite believe it. It had been so long since they'd last spoken to each other. It had felt like ages since she had last seen her.

"Mimi!" The older girl rushing towards her now looked as freaked out as Yolei felt. "What happened to you?" She demanded, hands on hips as she gave the older Digidestined a once over. Mimi's usually vibrant hair was cluttered with stray foliage while her pale skin was caked with dried mud. Her jeans were ripped and torn in all sorts of places, and her eyes spoke of intense confusion and pain.

"It's a long story." Mimi muttered as she embraced the younger of the two. "I'm just glad to see you. Are you alright?" Yolei felt Mimi's eyes graze her appearance out of concern.

"I'm fine; it's you I'm worried about." She gestured to the various marks scattered upon the other girl's figure. "I also want to know where the hell we are."

"It's the Digital World, I know it." Mimi answered at once. "There's no other reasonable explanation. It's just like all those years ago." She looked away for a moment, reminiscing. "I wonder if anyone else was sucked in. We should probably go look for the others."

_Of course it's the Digiworld. _Yolei mentally slapped herself. _Way to totally miss the obvious. _"You said you were sucked in?" She asked, glancing back at the other girl.

"Yeah, it was weird. There was this green light glowing in Central Park. I was the only one able to see it." She explained. "I felt drawn to it, somehow. And then it swallowed me up and brought me here. Only…" She hesitated for a moment, as if debating whether to go on or not. "I found myself in some sort of swamp area. It was really gross. And then, of course, my day just gets so much better, and some random Digimon just starts chasing me." She gestured to her various injuries, emphasizing her point.

"So that's how you know this is the Digital World, and not some other random dimension." Yolei murmured, taking it all in. "That's so strange. I went to bed in the real world, and everything felt fine enough to me. But then, I woke up here…" She mused, trying to figure out what, exactly, was going on.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a pair of boisterous, anxious voices. "Yolei! Mimi!" They made quite an odd pair, the bird-like creature and the plant-type being running straight towards the two girls. As they came hastily forward, recognition at least dawned on them.

"Hawkmon!" Yolei squealed, sweeping up her digimon partner into a tight embrace. Delight coursed through her veins, as thick and as sweet as something confectionary. It had felt like ages since she'd last seen him. "It's so great to see you again!" She looked over beside her to see that Mimi was having a similar conversation with her digimon partner.

"Palmon! Oh, I thought I'd never see you again!" She fell upon one of her oldest friends, enveloping her in a tight embrace. Yolei couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two of them together again. Unfortunately, reality just had to sink in moments later, as unpleasant and as unwanted as some of the chemicals she worked with in her science class.

"I hate to be the one to ruin the moment, but what are we doing here?" She pulled away from Hawkmon to glance at him sternly. "There has to be a reason that we were brought back to the Digital World, and my guess is that it's something far from pleasant. So the two of you, what gives?"

The bird-like creature sighed. "Honestly, we don't know. It must be some new evil, as far as I can tell. I've spent the last week running from renegade digimon. What's weird is that most of them have been at the rookie or champion level, and they've easily been able to overcome us. Especially the rookies! We shouldn't have to run from them. Something's warped their strength!"

Mimi and Yolei looked at him in surprise. But they had left the Digital World so peaceful, or so they had thought. Now, it seemed like trouble had reared its ugly head yet again, just when things had begun looking up. The idea of enhanced digimon seemed especially frightening, Yolei thought. If rookie digimon could easily overcome their own, then what hope did they have in defeating whatever force had caused this mess in the first place?

"Yeah." Palmon agreed sadly. "For some strange reason, the peace in the Digiworld has been disrupted. I think it must have something to do with Myotismon's old castle."

"What?" Mimi and Yolei screeched in unison. Trepidation settled within the cracks and crevices of their identical, widened eyes. Surely, Yolei hoped desperately, this didn't mean what she suspected it might.

"I don't think its Myotismon." Hawkmon hurriedly dismissed. "We've beaten him for good. But something has taken over his old grounds, or so I've heard from the Digi rumor mill. Apparently, some sort of labyrinth has been constructed from the ruins. My guess would be that if there is, indeed, a new villain about, he would be hanging around there."

Realization dawned on Yolei in a matter of seconds at her partner's words. "Labyrinth! That's it! That must be the same labyrinth Kari and TK keep dreaming about!" She exclaimed while the others merely looked on in confusion.

"What's this labyrinth got to do with Kari and TK?" Mimi inquired, looking intently at the younger girl, clearly expecting an answer.

She sighed as she adjusted her glasses. Mimi, nor Palmon, or Hawkmon, for that matter, had any idea regarding the current problem plaguing the children of Light and Hope. She knew she had to admit to everything she knew. Who knew where they both were now. Most likely, if they were, indeed, in the Digital World, they both were exposed to even greater danger than before.

"Well, you see…" She began, as the rest of their little group gathered around. It was going to be a long story.

---

"Birdramon digivolve to…Garudamon!" Enveloped in a furious, ochre blaze, what had formerly resembled a phoenix emerged moments later, transformed into a guardian of the sky. Discordiamon scoffed, unimpressed. She had dealt with digimon far more intimidating than that sorry sack of feathers before.

"Is that all you've got, crest of love?" Her tone was mocking, cruel. She laughed at the expression of outrage written so obviously across the girl's face. Oh, this was so much fun. How she loved cultivating anger and misery.

"Don't underestimate me, or my friends!" The fiery redhead snarled, fists clenched at her side. "We've defeated villains more powerful than you could ever dream of being! What makes you so cocky as to think that we won't do the same to you?"

The cruel, fey-like digimon merely smirked. Ah, it had been so much fun to come across that girl, marooned from the rest of the brat pack save for her pathetic, bird partner. To her delight, Discordiamon had discovered it was so easy to infuriate the crest of love. Only moments ago, it seemed, the winged giant before her had stood as a mere rookie.

"Enough of this!" Garudamon growled, leaping off the ground and taking to the sky. In her silence, Discordiamon had given the enemy a prime opportunity to attack. "Wing Blade!"

A furious blast of scarlet and orange, shaped in the form of a mighty bird of prey, dove straight towards her. Before she had the chance to avoid the blow, the attack crashed into her, driving her backwards into the forest that surrounded them. She grimaced at the pain, startled by how much it actually hurt. Perhaps she had underestimated the girl and her digimon after all.

Still, she refused to admit defeat. Her very nature wouldn't allow her. She smirked, albeit, weakly. "Was that a breeze I felt or was that your pathetic excuse of an attack?" Her smile widened at the sight of the human child's fury.

"Go to hell." The girl looked as though she wanted to punch her, which only served in delighting the mischievous monster further.

"And now, I think, it's time to demonstrate what a real attack looks like." She narrowed her eyes, concentrating on focusing her power. A bright, fuchsia light glowed around her fists before merging together to form one pulsing burst of boisterous energy. "Violet Vehemence!"

Aimed directly at the bird guardian's chest, the attack hit its mark dead on. Discordiamon grinned garishly at Garudamon's pain. "Had enough, or can you handle more? Envious Fruition!" Several, apple-shaped bursts of golden light shot straight at the already injured digimon. The human girl merely watched on in horror.

"Garudamon! No!" Discordiamon laughed as the creature reverted back to its most basic form of Biyomon. The crest of love had nowhere to run, now. Her eyes alive with fright, she kneeled over her fallen partner, looking up in trepidation at the champion-level digimon before her.

"You're next, pathetic girl." She smiled, gathering energy in preparation for her next attack. "Envious Fruit-"

Before she had the chance to unleash her power and destroy the bothersome girl once and for all, a blur of blue, white, and grey jumped in her line of vision. "Wolf Claw!" She staggered backwards as she was hit by the vicious claws of Weregarurumon. Cursing under breath, she scowled at the addition of a powerful ultimate.

"Hey lady. How about you pick on someone your own size?" Panting, she looked over to see an infuriated boy standing next to the girl on the ground. Judging from Weregarurumon's form, and using what knowledge she'd obtained from Lilithmon, she figured him to be the bearer of the crest of friendship.

"I'd be glad to." She looked menacingly over at the werewolf creature. He looked ready to pounce at any moment. She inwardly cringed. She had to take her leave now. As humiliating as it was, she had no choice but to retreat. She valued her life over her pride. "But I'm afraid I have better things to do than to waste my time with the likes of you."

With a sinister smile, and a quick uttering of words, the deliverer of chaos disappeared.

---

He desperately clutched onto the idea that he was dreaming. He wanted more than anything to be convinced that this was all a figment of his overly vivid imagination. He closed and opened his eyes quickly, silently hoping that at any second, he would wake up. He had no such luck. The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach emphasized the fact that he appeared stuck.

Glancing up at the wall, he saw that it loomed even taller than it had appeared in his dreams. It was majestic, certainly, what with all the grand intricacies carved into it, and it seemed fit to protect a palace. Still, TK knew better as his gaze caught site of the familiar, circular design. Within the wall lay a labyrinth, probably filled to the brim with darkness. He shuddered. He hated the darkness.

Suddenly, he couldn't take his eyes off the monolithic structure. A strange, intangible sensation kept him mesmerized. He was helpless to the invisible force that compelled him. He started forward, determined. He had to know what hid behind that wall.

"No…" He gritted his teeth, trying to fight it. It was as if he had relinquished control over his body. Physically, he was walking ever closer to the intrigues of the wall. Internally, however, he was locked in as if a prisoner. He was a prisoner of his own body. Still, he tried to fight, despite the fact that it was turning out to be a losing battle. He was so close now; he could reach out and graze the surface with his fingertips. Even as this thought crossed his mind, his arm unfurled to do just that.

He had to stop. Who knew what kind of evil lurked within that wall? He didn't want to be the one to find out, and yet, it seemed his body had other plans in mind. He tried desperately to regain control over himself. He had to fight this, he couldn't give up! For the sake of the others, he had to keep fighting!

That's when the thought struck him. The others. Kari. What if she was in there right now? TK grimaced. He had to get to her, to protect her. Never mind the annoying little voice in the back of his mind whispering that she was more than likely okay. She was a young woman. She could take care of herself. Right now, _he _was the one in need of saving.

Before he could even blink, his stark skin had made cool contact with the material of the wall. He gasped as he felt himself lifted off the ground. Someone, or something, was pulling him through from the other side. It was too late for him now. He belonged to the whims of whomever awaited him within the labyrinth. He inhaled, before he was swept up in a violent whirlwind. It felt as though he were traveling between dimensions.

Without warning, the sensations stopped. He found himself on his knees, collapsed on crude soil. He looked up around him to find himself encased by walls. He was trapped in a maze, or so it appeared. He stood up slowly, trying to get his bearings. His trip through the wall had left him more than a little dizzy.

"What is this place?" He couldn't help wondering a loud. Unfortunately for him, he was about to receive his answer, in the form of a powerful, evil digimon.

"Rustic Melody!" A digimon with the upper body of a man and the legs and horns of a goat charged at him, throwing out his hands to unleash a vicious attack. TK was too startled to do anything except stare as what looked to be a series of musical notes crashed into him.

He immediately fell to the ground in immense pain. At once, he both cursed himself and scowled. He was an idiot. He couldn't even defend himself. He was so completely screwed. He clutched at his wounded sides in agony. He was helpless, and he was injured. The situation was entirely hopeless.

"Ah, master will be most pleased, indeed." The creature smirked at him. TK cringed and turned away, too preoccupied with the pain present within most of his body to really pay attention to the intimidating monster before him.

"You are bound to come with me, boy of hope." The being rose itself up, still smirking. His arrogance greatly annoyed TK. "The master is expecting you."

Finally, fed up with it all, TK turned his attention to the digimon in front of him. "Who are you?" He coughed, shivering from the intensity of the pain. "And who is this "master" you keep talking about?" He gasped, his breath shallow and ragged.

"That's insignificant." The creature waved his hand aside dismissively. "What does matter is getting you to the master in one piece." He eyed the boy appraisingly as he talked. "At this point, it'll probably be easier for the both of us like this. Drunken Lullaby!" He pulled out a set of pipes, blowing into them with a skill that had no doubt been honed for a countless number of years.

Despite its name, the melody was surprisingly soothing and gentle. TK felt his eyes growing heavier as his feeble form swayed. It took several more moments for him to realize that he was falling forward. Blackness overcame him, cradling him in its false warmth. Much to his dismay, the darkness had swallowed him whole.


	7. The Chill Bites Before It Comes

**Author's Note:** First of all, I want to apologize for taking so long to update this. I've been really busy with the end of school, and I'd been lacking inspiration for awhile.

Also, this chapter is rather long, so hopefully that makes up for my absence. Now that I'm out of school, however, updates should be happening more frequently. Anyway, thank you to everyone who's read, reviewed, and left feedback! I really appreciate it.

Finally, the rating might change in future chapters, for violence, and sexual implications. Nothing graphic, but the material presented might not suit anything less than a mature rating.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon, or its characters, just as much as I don't own the concept of the labyrinth, or any of the ideas I've incorporated from the sources I've already mentioned. This was written for recreational purposes only.

* * *

She opened her eyes to an obstructed landscape. Everything around her spoke of agony, disarray. The trees bent forward as though burdened with the weight of the world. Bruised plants all around her seemed to mutely cry out in pain. Kari gasped at the sight of it all. Everything around her seemed corrupted, tainted. As she lifted herself off her back, she caught a better look at the soiled scenery around her.

Was that blood? She quickly hurried to her feet to examine the stained ground closer. Much to her dismay, she found the telling, dried brown pool all too real. She turned away, disgusted. What had happened here? And, even more importantly, where, exactly, was "here?"

She started at the crude sound of a savage bird. She clamped her hands over her mouth, trying to silence herself lest whatever had made that awful noise took notice of her presence. She was marooned, cut off from the world in malignant forest. She struggled not to cry. She was a strong girl, she could make it through this. Internally, she acknowledged that it was just a lie. She longed for someone-TK, Gatomon, Tai-anyone at all. She'd never before felt so alone.

She tried to focus. She needed to be alert. She didn't know where she was, she didn't know how she had gotten there, and she didn't know what was to happen to her now. She felt powerless, and bleak. "Get a grip." She muttered to herself, trying desperately to increase her confidence. She couldn't afford such paranoia and trepidation. Her life could quite possibly be on the line.

Still, the bleak scene around her did little to soothe her frayed nerves, alert and prone to panicking should anything else disturbing decide to intrude upon the broken landscape before her. She frowned sadly. Who could do such a terrible thing? Clearly, blood, perhaps something more, had been shed here. For what purpose, she did not know, but she was positive that it was not a pleasant one. The pacifist within her wept at the horrid imagery around her. The scattered branches and twigs seemed like severed limbs to her. The mud and uprooted soil pooled like shed blood within her mind. War. Decimation. Violence. Everything about this place screamed of untold horrors.

She found herself kneeling down beside one lone flower a moment later. The only evidence of life for miles around, it seemed, caught up within the midst of garish ruin. Kari gazed upon it despondently. It was a pretty thing, with pearly white petals and a golden core. It held the elegance of a tulip, with its picturesque petals, and yet it also seemed as dualistic as the rose. On the one hand, it was a beautiful piece of nature. On the other, its stem was covered by thorns, short, yet sharp, like waiting daggers. It was unlike any flower she had ever seen before. She couldn't help but watch it, mesmerized by how pure it seemed in contrast with the disaster surrounding it. How much longer until its petals succumbed to the atrocities of whatever chaos had ruined the environment around her? How long did this fragile creature have until it, too, lost its life to brute violence?

"Kari?" She started, jumping up from her position, absolutely stunned. She knew that voice anywhere. It sounded like…but it couldn't be! Surely, she was dreaming. It had been so long since she had last seen her old friend. Could it be?

"Gatomon!" She felt a smile, somewhat strained, stretch itself across her face at the sight of the feline digimon, otherwise known as one of her closest friends. "I can't believe it's really you! It seems like it's been forever since I last saw you!" She bent down to sweep up her partner into a tight embrace. It struck her suddenly that she must be in the Digital World.

"Kari!" The somewhat vertically challenged creature couldn't help but smile back. "Oh, you don't know how much I've missed you! The Digiworld's a mess, and I thought I was a goner, but then-" The pace of her voice had increased with each word she spoke.

"Whoa, slow down!" Kari interrupted; releasing the creature from her embrace and helping her back the ground. "Why don't you start from the beginning and just tell me everything?"

Gatomon sighed. "Well, it's a long story, so it might take me awhile but-"

Kari shook her head. "I don't care. There has to be some sort of explanation for this." She gestured to the practically barren area around them. "There's a reason I'm back in the Digital World again, and I know I can rely on you to tell me about what's going on." She looked at her digimon pointedly.

"Well, alright, but, I'm warning you, it's a pretty lengthy tale." Kari met her feline friend's gaze, noticing that the former, fiery spirit that had resided there seemed to have been extinguished. She wondered what had happened to dampen Gatomon's character so.

"But first, I've got a surprise for you!" A weak, though genuine, smile shone in the midst of the cat's grim composure. "Trust me." She turned, falling onto all fours, nodding her head, indicating that Kari should follow.

"Where are we going?" The bearer of light questioned as she followed the digimon into what seemed like an even thicker darkness. She couldn't control the shivers that slithered their way down her spine. Fear crawled along her skin like some kind of insect with multiple legs.

"Not too far." Gatomon replied casually as they continued along. Kari refrained from commenting further, fully trusting her partner's judgment as they traveled onwards, blanketed by a comfortable sort of silence. Soon enough, they broke through a patch of trees, emerging into some sort of clearing. In the middle of it stood a rather pathetic looking house of rotting wood and not much else. If she squinted, it seemed to resemble a tree house that had just taken a tumble from the highest of branches. She wondered what of interest could possibly reside within the decaying structure.

"Is this what you wanted to show me, Gatomon?" Kari asked, skeptical. Apart from the strange, tiny little house, there remained nothing in the area that seemed of much importance.

"Hmm, nope." She shook her head in response. "Wait here. I'll be back in a second!"

---

He awoke to a strange spectacle before him. Tenacious tides of thick, dark waters crept up and around his form, almost as if they were reaching for him. Fog as thick as smoke imprisoned him from the rest of the world. He shuddered on instinct. The Dark Ocean. Ken bolted up immediately, panic clinging to him like sickly tendrils of steam. What could the world of darkness possibly want with him now?

He fought to contain the bile rising within his throat. Here he was, caught up within a universe he had never wanted to see again. What force could have dragged him back there now, he wondered, stumbling forward, just out of the grisly tides garish reach.

Everything about the Dark Ocean frightened the living hell out of him. He'd seen the extent of which its true horrors could reach first hand, having been a victim of darkness himself. He'd witnessed Kari's own struggles with the gruesome place, watched as even light became susceptible to crude corruption. Standing there now, it felt like he would never escape his demons. He tried to suppress the trembling rage rising up within him.

He shivered as a bitter cold descended upon his skin. The thin material of his outfit did little to protect him from the callous breeze that had swarmed upon him suddenly. Oppressive, like the dominating heat of the desert, the darkness seemed to consume him. He felt as though he were apart of the walking wounded, forever burdened by injuries much more than skin deep.

"Why me? Why now?" He asked of no one in particular. It was just him and the silence. He wanted nothing more than to scream. He wanted to be found, to be saved from such a dismal, awful world. But there was no one there, or so he thought. Then, off in the distance, a sudden movement caught his eye. A figure, human-like, and covered in shadows, walked slowly towards what looked to be a gigantic wall. Wait. A wall?

Recognition didn't so much dawn on him as much as it punched him in the face. He ran towards the stranger, knowing that it had to be either TK or Kari. After hearing their stories respectively, he had always wondered as to the origins of the wall itself. Now, as he grew closer, it finally all made sense. Of course something so powerful as to draw people to it in their dreams would lay in a alternate universe of such a dreary nature.

The off-white hat gave away the figure's identity immediately, as Ken at last covered enough distance between them to see him properly. TK, the crest of hope. He halted, abruptly, as the other boy did the same.

"TK!" He called out to the other digidestined, wondering as to how long the other had been here. It was strange; he had to admit, to see the usually optimistic boy of hope in a place like the Dark Ocean. Personally, he couldn't help but imagine TK as some sort paladin figure, bathed in light, invincible to the cruelties of the darkness. But no, that wasn't right, he reprimanded himself. TK had been exposed to the ways of evil before, especially in his previous trials in the Digital World. He, too, had seen a loved fall to the whims of darkness. Still, it was odd to see him so stoic and still, standing before the wall. He looked as if he hadn't even heard what Ken had just said.

He called out again, but to no avail. Then TK began moving forward. The expression upon his face was a mix of determination and fear. In horror, he watched as his friend fell to his knees, almost as if he were struggling. It appeared as if some other force were propelling him forward, like he had lost control over his body.

Ken, paralyzed by fear, could only watch as a feeble whisper escaped his friend's lips: "No." Something inside him snapped. Instinctively, he knew his friend was deeply in trouble. Ken had to do something to help. He raced forward unabashedly, hoping to reach his friend in time.

He tried calling out his name again, but it was as if the other boy had gone deaf. Much to his dismay, TK had picked himself off the ground, and was now almost within reaching distance of the wall. A shudder slithered down his spine, delicate, yet demanding. Trepidation dictated to him that something horrible was about to take place. That same instinct alerted him to the fact that it would somehow involve TK.

The boy of hope had reached the wall before he'd even gotten the chance to do anything more than scream. Ken helplessly looked on as the contact made between the wall and TK swallowed the aforementioned boy up, quite literally. He felt guilt sink into his blood. He'd let his friend down. He failed as a digidestined…

He opened his eyes to a slightly less dismal environment. Around him, for miles, it seemed, stood an audience of trees, observing his startled performance. He gasped as he realized that it had all been just a dream. Well, more like nightmare, really, but nonetheless, what he'd seen happen had not actually been relief. Which meant that TK was more than likely alright.

He sighed in relief. It had all been just a horrific figment of his vivid imagination. He rose up onto his knees before standing up fully, taking his time to catch up to his racing breath. That was when he decided to focus in around him. Evergreen reality hit him a moment later when he realized that he was, in fact, outdoors, and certainly, nowhere near his home. He felt fear once more take a hold of him violently. Where, exactly, was he?

"Ken?" He almost jumped at the sound of the voice. Pivoting quickly, behind him he saw Kari, along with Gatomon, Patamon, and was that Wizardmon? He did a double take to find that, no, his sight wasn't actually deceiving him. He could only utter one word in response to the bizarre scenario around him: "How?"

"It's a long story." Wizardmon replied, looking at him knowingly. "I'll explain it all later, when we've met up with the rest of the digidestined. For now, all you need to know is that you've all been called back to the Digital World because of a powerful, ancient danger." The mage's purposeful gaze seemed to sear through his confusion as easily as a blade of ice might cut through pliant skin. "I think you know what I'm getting at."

He gasped. "The wall Kari and TK keep seeing?"

Patamon nodded. "Yes. Wizardmon figured out that it's the entrance to a giant labyrinth, made up from the ruins of Nightmare Castle. Something inside there has gathered forces and has enhanced them using some sort of magic."

"Yeah." Gatomon piped in. "It's mostly just rookies and champions, but even the rookies are powerful enough to overcome even a bunch of us together. That's what happened to Patamon and I."

Ken paid rapt attention. The idea of someone enhancing the digimons' power made him ill. It was the exact sort of trick he might have pulled as the Digimon Emperor. He suppressed a shudder at the thought, before responding. "A labyrinth. Huh. Well, it makes sense considering what Yolei said last night."

Kari nodded grimly. "But they haven't been able to pinpoint the location of this labyrinth place yet. Wizardmon figures that the place has an entrance in both this world and another."

He gasped, paling visibly. His "dream." TK. Suddenly, it all made sense. The wall resided in the Dark Ocean, which explained why he'd been able to see what he had-he'd been there before. TK had never been pulled to the Dark Ocean as a victim; he'd gone in only to rescue Kari. Perhaps that was why he'd been so prone to the sinister influences that had forced him through the wall-he was more vulnerable than either Ken or Kari because of his more innocent nature.

"Ken? What's wrong?" Kari asked, concern etched in her frail eyes. Beside her, Gatomon, Patamon, and Wizardmon looked equally as worried. Ken struggled as to whether or not he should give them reason to worry further.

He sighed. He had to tell them. He had no right keeping such important information to himself, especially when it regarded the well being of a very close friend. He spoke sadly, and softly. "It's TK. I…had a vision about the Dark Ocean. He walked right into that wall." He felt paralyzed under their petrified gazes. "I'm afraid that whatever's in that labyrinth now has taken him prisoner, if not worse."

---

A vivid discomfort woke him with a start. He found himself breathing hard, chained to an artic stone wall. He opened his eyes reluctantly. Where the hell was he? TK tried desperately to quell the panic, rising like an epic tidal wave within him. In vain, he glanced about hurriedly, as if he thought the answers could be found on the opposing wall.

He tried moving, only to find that he was bound quite tightly by the steel devices from which he hung against the cold surface of what he imagined was the dungeon of some sort of fortress or palace. "Damn it." He muttered in frustration. He remembered being attacked by a digimon that looked like something out of Greek mythology, and he could recall that this had occurred once he'd been pulled through the monolithic wall.

An abrupt noise intruded upon his dismal thoughts as he contemplated on just how he might escape his current predicament. Much to his chagrin, that same, half-human, half-goat digimon appeared in the doorway, his short form bathed in sickly, yellow light. "The master will see you now."

TK silently cursed himself. Of course. How could he have forgotten? The being had mentioned something about some master or another. He felt all traces of optimism drain from his body, as if some invisible monster was bleeding him dry of all the hope he possessed. He was entirely screwed.

_No, stop thinking like that. _He reprimanded himself as Panmon strode over and began undoing him from his chains. He couldn't give up hope; after all, it was the very element he embodied. He couldn't let the darkness overcome him. He had to fight his pessimistic tendencies for all it was worth. He was not about to let evil win so easily.

Unfortunately for him, currently, the forces of darkness _were_ winning. He was hefted rather clumsily over the small, yet powerful digimon's shoulder, his hands and legs having been bound by some kind of rope while he was still lost in thought. He'd forgotten completely about this so-called master. Now he was on his way to face some megalomaniac monster who'd decided to include him in his special plans.

"Yes, the master will be most pleased with you." TK imagined Panmon to be smirking gruesomely, like any other generic minion. "It appears that darkness has done little to corrupt you, boy." TK grimaced as he bounced along, in time with the mythical digimon's quick pace. "He'll appreciate that."

So the darkness hadn't corrupted him, as Panmon so aptly put it. So he hadn't succumbed to the likes of the dark spores and transformed into an egocentric Emperor. That didn't mean, by any means, that the darkness hadn't hurt him any less. For the love of God, he'd seen his own brother struggle with his own inner shadows. Sora too. And he would never be able to forget his experience in the Dark Ocean with Kari. It angered him greatly, the digimon's assumptions, almost as much as his experiences with darkness themselves.

But he didn't have the opportunity to voice such an opinion. Before he knew it, they'd arrived in what appeared to be the throne room, or so he assumed, making use of what he'd learned from his humanities classes. From his position atop Panmon's shoulder, TK was left almost breathless at the grandeur of it all. As much as he loathed admitting it, he couldn't not be amazed. The mixed onyx-gray interior looked to be made of some kind of rich marble. The ceiling seemed to rise for miles above, appearing as far away as he imagined heaven to be. Even more impressive than its height was how closely it seemed to resemble the stark beauty of a starless night in all its ebony glory. Meanwhile, intricate images jumped out at him from within the stone of the walls around him, some of which he recognized from the wall just outside the labyrinth. Whoever was behind all this certainly had taste.

"Like what you see?" He started at the sound of the eerily familiar voice just as Panmon decided that now would be a great time to drop him carelessly onto the floor. With an agitated "oomph," TK looked up into the artic eyes of a former foe he had thought that they had finally triumphed over for good.

"Myotismon!" He glared up the aristocratic figure seated elegantly upon a decadent throne. He could hardly believe the sight before him: their old enemy, in his ultimate form. And yet, there he sat, dressed up like a royal soldier in his uniform of cobalt and gold, his trademark, sinister grin plastered upon his pale face. TK thought that, with the defeat of MaloMyotismon the year before, they had finally put the stubborn megalomaniac to rest for good. His vision now told him otherwise.

The vampire just chuckled in response. "Nice to know that you haven't forgotten me, Digidestined." The way his violet lips curled into an arrogant smirk sent waves of anger coursing through the boy slumped upon the elegant floor. That awful laughter still could infuriate him so easily.

"How?" It was the only word he could muster at the moment. In the face of a danger long thought to be exterminated, TK stared long and hard, hoping with all his might to uncover some logical explanation for all of this. After being defeated not just once, but three times, Myotismon had still yet to accept the fact that he would never win.

The evil digimon's garish grin grew further at the question. "Nothing overtly complicated; as I was killed in the digital world, I was reborn into Primary Village." His eyes flashed in amusement, catching sight of the rapid in which TK's face paled.

"But we completely destroyed your data. How is that even possible?" His fists, shaking, clenched at his side in an attempt to reign in his anger. He was horrified, and it showed, he knew. He hated the way he sounded weak, especially before such darkness. It would only serve to further fuel the digimon's ego, thus making him more vulnerable to outbursts of said ego.

"You underestimate my abilities, Digidestined." His gaze, although amused, grew even more artic with each word spoken. "There are ways to get around death, loopholes if you will. A pathetically imbecile human could hardly fathom the extent of which such ancient magic works."

TK growled. "What do you want with me if I'm so 'pathetic' then? What do you want with Kari?"

The vampire laughed, glancing at his hands as though he were bored. "You really are very ignorant. As my strength is the darkness, my downfall has always been the light. Hope and light are very close. So close, in fact, that they are very nearly the same thing." He shifted his gaze towards TK again. "But as I have failed in destroying the lot of you as a whole, I have come to realize that I must employ more…subtle methods in order to conquer over you all."

He didn't like where Myotismon seemed to be going with this. He tried to constrain the fierce tides of helplessness that threatened to overwhelm him as he spoke. "And just what does that mean?"

The ultimate only smiled. "Now, what would be the fun of revealing the full of my plans all at once? You'll find out, soon enough. In the meantime, I grow bored of your insipid questioning. And I am…hungry." The gleam in his eyes seemed to paralyze TK, who felt his stomach drop at the implications within his gaze. "It's been so long since I've last had human blood."

"Don't you need a human girl for that?" He snarled, although he was visibly shaking. He struggled as Panmon, whom he'd forgotten about in the wake of discovering that Myotismon was alive, lifted him up and shoved him towards the vampire, who'd risen from his seat to meet them.

Cradled in the sickly embrace of the digimon, he squirmed, desperately hoping for some miracle, preferably in the form of the rest of the digidestined bursting in to come and save him. But no, he realized with horror. They didn't even know where he was, or that he had even disappeared.

"Human blood is human blood." They were uncomfortably close, now. TK felt the dense fog of the digimon's breath as it clashed against the exposed skin of his cheeks. He fought with defiance, trying to protect his neck with all the might he could muster. Unfortunately, Myotismon was much stronger; he used such knowledge to his advantage. Propping one large, gloved hand beneath TK's chin, he managed to get him to drop his defenses rather effortlessly.

Looking up, he felt his vision captured by a pair of mesmerizing blue eyes. So much like his brother's. So much like his own. As he was lost inside a world of stark sapphire, he vaguely became aware of a strange sort of heat rising up about him as violet lips intruded upon his virgin skin. Strange sensations of lust and confusion distorted his vision just as he felt the vampire's fangs sink deeply beneath the surface of his vulnerable flesh. He cried out at the pain, razor sharp and immediate. He wilted like the decaying roots of blossoms left out in winter, falling onto the chest of his enemy. His coherency flickered in and out as he felt his sight give out beneath him. Once more, he fell victim to the embrace of darkness.


	8. My Last Duchess

**Author's Notes**: First and foremost, I am incredibly sorry for not updating this sooner. I've been suffering a bit from writer's block with this piece, and it's taken me awhile to get inspired, so to speak. (That, and I, like everyone else, was distracted by the 7th installment of Harry Potter.) Anyway, I apologize because I should've had this up sooner. On that note, updates are going to be, more or less, inconsistent, depending upon when I can find the time and inspiration to write. This will be made more difficult in the upcoming month, as I am leaving for college soon.

Secondly, thank you, once again, to everyone who reads and reviews this! I really appreciate your efforts in giving feedback. It means a lot to me as a writer, and really helps to fuel my motivation, for which I am very grateful.

Anyway, onto the eighth chapter!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon, or its characters, just as much as I don't own the concept of the labyrinth, or any of the ideals I've incorporated from the sources I've already mentioned. This was written for recreational purposes only.

* * *

"So, what? Are you saying the Dark Ocean's got my brother?" Matt, along with Gabumon, as well as Sora and Biyomon, both looking rather scraped up, had shown up just as Ken had been about to explain the strange vision that had previously haunted him. Now, having just finished confessing to the other Chosen (or, rather, those that were present) his theories regarding the child of hope, the bearer of friendship visibly looked on the verge of collapsing from the sheer amount of anger that stirred beneath his skin. Beside him, his girlfriend, though as visibly upset as he was, tried to calm him down. Ken thought it frightening, albeit interesting how eerily wolf-like his expression appeared.

"It's not definite. I mean, after all, it felt like a bad dream." Ken shrugged, greatly intimidated by the wrath burning brightly in the older boy's cold eyes. "But I think it does bear some merit considering it involves the wall both TK and Kari have been seeing in their dreams."

"I would have to disagree with you Ken." Wizardmon spoke up next to Kari and Gatomon. Ken almost sighed in relief when Matt turned his penetrating gaze unto the mage digimon. "When one comes in direct contact with the Dark Ocean, one does one procure the many dark side effects of such an encounter. However, some of these affects may, in fact, be used for good, such as this instance. In short, Ken, that 'dream' of yours is no such thing. It is a legitimate vision, the likes of which often come along to individuals who are particularly targeted by that dark world. We may be able to use it to help recover TK, as well as uncover just what it wants with both him and Kari."

"But wait. If that theory holds true, I should have been able to see TK walk through the wall as well." Ken watched as Kari inquired after Wizardmon with her eyes. "I've also had some pretty direct contact with the Dark Ocean."

Wizardmon shook his head, indicating the negative. "You've never actually touched the waters of the Dark Ocean, have you, Kari?" Though he probably already knew the answer, he waited until the girl shook her head to speak. "The waters of the Dark Ocean herald the most devastating effects upon those who come into contact with them. As I'm sure Ken's already mentioned, those waters are what turned his digivice black. They helped to nurture the dark spore inside of him, which, in turn, allowed him to become the Digimon Emperor."

Ken squirmed, not exactly comfortable with the tides of bitter memories Wizardmon's words brought with them. Guilt crept up on him, causing him to look away from the rest of the gathered group in shame. Even after all of this time, the thought of his hideous atrocities as the Digimon Emperor could still reduce him to a shame so severe, he often times felt on the verge of becoming physically sick. He knew he would never escape that particular phantasm from his past.

"That means TK's in trouble!" Patamon wailed from his perch on a nearby tree branch that hung particularly close to the ground. "And I can't do anything to help him!" Sobs wracked his tiny frame as he hid beneath the bat-like material of his ears. Ken felt a sudden surge of sympathy for the poor creature. The digimon's reaction reminded him strongly of when he'd first been told that his brother had been taken to the hospital.

Kari ran over and helped the upset being off the branch and into her arms, cradling him as she would if he were a frail, human baby. "Don't worry Patamon. We'll find a way to get TK back." The small digimon fortunately couldn't see the strained expression upon his benefactor's face. Ken, however, could. Dark traces of uncertainty and despair made the bearer of light's eyes dull, seemingly empty. The lines of her mouth tilted downwards betrayed her own feelings of helplessness.

"Yeah, don't worry! I'm sure TK's fine." Sora supplied, an obviously forced grin brightening her features somewhat. Beside her, Matt just grimaced, hands clenched into furious-looking fists.

"Hey guys!" They all swiftly turned to face a relieved, albeit scrappy-looking, Yolei and Mimi running towards them, along with their digital partners, respectively. He wondered how they had fared the return to the Digiworld. Judging from their appearances, from the obvious markings of mud and soil, and the leaves entwined in both girls' hair, that they had run into some trouble.

"Mimi! Yolei!" Sora called out, her voice a mixture of contradicting relief and concern. "What happened to you two?" Ken had been wondering the same thing.

"We're fine. Don't worry about us." Yolei waved it off casually. He focused his gaze on her intently. He could tell she wasn't filling them in on the entire truth. She paused long enough to allow her gaze to sweep the scene before her. Ken noted that she was avoiding his gaze, in particular. "Really, it's you guys we've been worried about. Where's everyone else?"

"We don't know." Kari spoke up before he could. Sadness lingered in her gentle voice. "But we do know one thing. Something in the Dark Ocean's got TK." He watched as the newcomers' eyes landed upon the whimpering Digimon in her arms in horror.

"Yolei, that labyrinth theory you were talking about earlier? It's true." He spoke up at last, accusation simpering beneath his hushed tone. Yolei, at last, did meet his gaze. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she could work up the words to speak.

And then Kari collapsed.

---

"Lilithmon! Discordiamon!" Her master's rich, cold voice called out to her from his private chambers. She immediately dropped the near-dead Bakemon she'd been using as her plaything for the past hour. In her typical fashion, her restless hands had made her quite bored. It wasn't her fault that the master was too preoccupied with that human boy to give her anything to do. Nor was she to blame for the fact that he'd insisted she stay near, in case something else came up.

Discordiamon took flight behind Lilithmon without a second thought. As annoyed as she had been, it wasn't for her to bemoan wasted time. Now, she had something to be doing, she knew. She and her black desire for action were grateful.

They entered the great hall together, almost side by side. Their polished curtsies were nearly identical in precision and timing. So close had they both come together since that odd night in which Discordiamon had temporarily lost her memory. It was strange. She could never recall being particularly close with Lilithmon before.

"I have special orders for the both of you." He greeted them in the typical fashion, like they were nothing more than measly serfs, though they both held higher rank than that. His mood, satisfied, but wanting more, indicated that everything was going according to plan. This was a very good thing, indeed, for the both of them, as well. Anything that had the master content and sated meant that all who served him would be as well.

"Discordiamon, I want you to see to the boy in the private dungeons of my chambers. Heal his wound and feed him; bring him to my library afterwards. Make sure to lace his dinner with that potion we discussed earlier. I presume it's been prepared?" His lips curled into a rather unpleasant, expectant smirk.

She nodded eagerly. "Of course, my lord. It has been waiting for quite some time now, sir." Satisfied with her answer, he turned his gaze onto Lilithmon beside her.

"Lilithmon, I am entrusting you, and only you, to bring the child of light to me. I expect her here within the timeframe we discussed last night." Discordiamon felt a surge of envy unfurl down her spine, thick and prominent, like ivy. Of course, during what could be considered the "daytime" of that eerie world, Discordiamon and Lilithmon both served as ordinary soldiers. However, during the remaining darker hours in which their master took to waking, they both, alone, were selected for more intimate services. Ever since she'd recovered from her recent lapse of memory, Discordiamon and Lilithmon both took it upon themselves care to fulfill the hunger within him that could not be sated by any sort of blood or data.

Last night had not been Lilithmon's turn, so to speak. She couldn't help but fume silently in her mind. It had become apparent to her that her master and Lilithmon had been arranging secret meetings beyond what had originally been set up as guidelines.

That was only one of many examples as to how the master favored Lilithmon more. She was always the one entrusted with special missions. She always stood by his side when they were receiving visitors. She always was receiving more flattering praise and, sometimes, even small presents.

But no. Dwelling on such petty matters was beneath her. Such emotions would only serve to hinder her abilities as one of her master's favored servants. That, in turn, would only give cause for the master to get angry with her, and thus, chip away at some of her hard earned status. Emotions, she recalled, were what led to her memory's downfall in the first place.

"You are both dismissed." He nodded curtly at the pair of them, both of whom immediately rose from their curtsies and left the room.

Funny, she could not remember what else her master had been saying. This indicated that her foolish emotions were getting the best of her. She drew in a sharp breath, angry at herself all the more for it. She could always take it out on that human boy, she figured. In an instant, a cruel, devious smile perched itself upon her face. She felt a sinful sort of pleasure awaken at the thought. After all, the master had never once said that she couldn't touch the pathetic creature, nor that he had to be healed right away.


	9. Across the Universe

**Author's Notes**: I know it's been almost a year since I last updated this piece. I don't think I can apologize enough for practically abandoning this story. I honestly didn't mean to. I got so distracted by my own excitement for college; I shut writing out of my life for awhile. I don't expect anyone to still be reading this, but if you are, I am so, so sorry for making you wait. I am working on my updating abilities, and trying to improve them. I can't promise quick updates. It earnestly might be another month or two before I update with the next chapter. But I will try not to wait for a year to go by before working on this again. Once again, I truly apologize for allowing this story to sit for so long.

Secondly, again, to everyone who reads and reviews this, as well as those who have me on their favorites and alerts, I really appreciate your appreciation. It makes me feel honored, as a writer, receiving your feedback.

Finally, a slight warning. This chapter is both slightly morbid and strange. That's all I'm going to say.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon, or its characters, just as much as I don't own the concept of the labyrinth, or any of the ideals I've incorporated from the sources I've already mentioned. This was written for recreational purposes only.

* * *

He had been in his room, lost in the wilderness otherwise known as his homework, when it happened. A bizarrely vibrant yellow glow appeared from nowhere in the corner of his room. Fascinated by its existence, Cody couldn't help but abandon his history notes in favor of further examining the ethereal light's presence. As he grew closer, it too had grown, more so to encompass his entire body. Before he could so much as wonder as to what was happening, the light engulfed him, swallowed him whole.

It was as if he had blinked. The next thing he knew, he was standing upon the ground of a realm defiled by the cruel whims of circumstance. Yet in spite of its severely altered appearance from the last he had seen of it, he distinctly remembered recognizing instantly that he was in the Digital World.

"Cody!" The eager voice resonated within him instantly. The typically creature had run up to him quickly.

Cody had never been so glad to see Armadillomon in all his life. Though only a year had passed, he felt that it had been far too long. Around him, the Digital World stood solemn, tarnished by recent acts of devastation. Signs of rage and terror called out to him from the broken branches and the ruins of once sturdy trees. He wondered just how it had gotten to be this way, after they had just restored peace.

"Cody, are you even listening to me?" His partner's voice interrupted his train of thought, abruptly halting further speculation as to just what might have caused all of the destruction around them.

"What? Oh, sorry Armadillomon. It's just that…" He glanced out at the bleak landscape sadly. "This is terrible. I can't think of who would do something like this."

"This isn't even the worst of it." His digimon remarked despondently. "Before you came, I was hanging around with Patamon, Gatomon, and Veemon by Primary Village. Out of nowhere, we were ambushed by a legion of digimon of all sorts. Veemon and I barely made it out of there with our skins still attached."

"What kind of digimon were they? Champion, ultimate?" Cody inquired, now extremely concerned for the whereabouts of the other members of their team. "They sound pretty terrible."

"That's the thing." A stark spark of trepidation lingered in his partner's gaze, triggering even more a sense of horror within his own mind. "They were all at the rookie level, with maybe one champion among them. They seemed so much stronger than the rest of us. I think something happened that changed their abilities."

"But how is this possible?" Cody protested in disbelief as they continued along a path wrecked with debris garbed in newly birthed ash. "We defeated evil once and for all last year. This shouldn't be happening." Bitterness swept swiftly across his features, as blatant as when greed corrupts the chastity of the white rose. Disaster shrunk him to the size of a pebble surrounded by the vastness of the ocean. He felt trapped, cornered by the monolithic tragedy sprawled out all around them. He was almost as upset as he felt whenever his mother dared to go out on dates. The landscape around him echoed vehemently his futile position, halted by a lack of ability to do anything.

"I know, Cody. It doesn't make any sense to me either." Armadillo agreed morosely as the premature demises of the formerly sprite-like blossoms and the sage, elderly trees that had once defined the very essence of the Digital World lingered in the wake of his mournful thoughts.

A sudden shiver slithered down Cody's spine, spiraling down from origins unknown like the silken cadge of a spider's web. He felt the world shatter into fragments around him, sharp, with all the finality of definite murder. The sensation of drowning overwhelmed him abruptly, forcing his breath out as he collapsed as limply as the motion of rag dolls onto his knees. An artic noose tightened more and more around his neck with each passing moment. He thought he could feel cold hands around him, forcing every unpleasant feeling into him through every open orifice of his body. Everything had gone cold, oh so cold; cold like the artificial lights of an asylum, cold like the lack of light in an abandoned attic. He could have sworn he'd heard laughter immediately behind him.

"Cody, what's wrong?" Armadillo rushed to his side, alarmed by his partner's rapidly worsening condition. Cody felt him as he tried supporting his friend with all the weight and force that he possessed, but found all his attempts to be in vain. It was only seconds later that he felt himself felt these same symptoms and began his own descent into a hell layered in ice and shadows.

"I-I can't breathe." His eyes at last shut out the dismal realm around as he went under, for what seemed to him to be the last time.

--

From a stark distance, a tall, imposing figure observed the events unfolding intently. Obsidian framed his entire form, as though he were completely composed out of silhouettes. Only his eyes, a vivid shade of noxious green, distinguished him from the darkness of his surroundings. Sheltered by his guise, as well as by the shadows of descending night, Cladiumon had little to worry about as a queer, crude smirk twisted his features into an even more repulsive mask of arrogance.

Everything had gone immaculately, was what he could now say to the master, and it made him certain. Certain that he was to be rewarded handsomely, certain of his imminent promotion. With this success, he was guaranteed a most prominent future. Now all that was left was for him to collect his prize. . .

"Have you taken care of the boy yet?" The supple, sound voice flowed into his hearing, as smooth as caramel. Yet having known her almost all his life taught him that beneath the dulcet exterior of her smile lay a dark, distorted interior, fully capable of the crudest manipulation. He knew, perhaps better than any other Digimon, to answer her carefully, to phrase things in the exact manner in which she preferred to hear them. He knew her delicate ego was not to be trampled upon, like some sort of brute savage.

"Yes, my Lady. He is not dead, but I am certain that the poison will finish the job spectacularly within the next hour or so." He stood tall, but not proud. He humbled his voice to that of a lowly servant, to emphasize the significance between his rank and hers. Deep within his mind, he suppressed the rouge hope that one day _she_ would be the one yielding respect to him as her superior. He had perfected the art of loyalty and masquerade since he had first reached his ultimate form.

"Excellent. No doubt the rest of the brats will find him soon enough. And if not, what's one of those little brats out of the way?" Lilithmon's smirk affirmed his earlier confidence that he had completed his task successfully. He had deliberately withheld the knowledge that the children had already discovered their little friend, thanks to his rather appalling vocal abilities. But of course, Lilithmon didn't need to know such trivial details.

"Either way, they'll be too busy fretting over their dying friend to concern themselves much with the child of light. She'll be mine days before the master expects her." The triumphant venom in her voice spoke without words as to the inevitably imminent rewards given to her as a result of his scheming.

Cladiumon showed no outward signs of surprise or regret. Inwardly, of course, anger coursed like violent tidal waves through his veins. Still, after nearly a century of service, he remained a master at masking venom.

"The master will no doubt honor you beyond all the rest of his servants." He smiled at her. It was the precise sort of gesture she silently demanded of him.

"No doubt." She agreed, a slight note of lust overwhelming the essence of her voice. "And since you've been so faithful, so unlike the rest of these mindless morons, I'll make sure to put in a word or two for you as well. You would make a far better general than that bastard Panmon, anyway."

He took some solace in these final words. Lilithmon always had that way about her. One utterly loathed her one moment, and in the next, she gave one the illusion of her appreciation. False though it was, Cladiumon couldn't help but take comfort in the gesture. They were both more alike than either one of them cared to admit.

--

Davis never felt less brave in all his life. Here he was, in the Digital World, the leader of the new Digidestined, shaken to his very bones. Was it really only yesterday that he had been in his room, pining for another adventure, missing terribly all the mishaps he had once gotten into with Veemon by his side? Had it really only been moments later that a strange, golden light had swallowed him whole, and spat him back out into this strange, barren forest?

"Davis?" He felt like an eternity had passed him by from the moment he had first come across his best friend, who had flung himself at him from quite a considerable distance, almost knocking the wind out from under him.

"Veemon! Dude, where have you been all my life?" At that point in time, in spite of the savaged wilderness around him, Davis had still known happiness. He had still felt completely himself, even more so after reuniting with his digimon partner. Nothing, it seemed, could have penetrated the invincibility of their joined laughter.

Nothing, until a horrified screeching had broken through their brotherly embrace, making them jump instantly out of their skins. Davis remembered still how the shrill sound sent shudders down his spine.

"Did you hear that?" He had asked of Veemon, wanting to make sure his sanity wasn't cracking at last.

"Sounds like someone's in trouble." Veemon had nodded in affirmation, sounding especially frightened. Davis hadn't needed more than that to think twice.

"Come on. They sound like they need some help." _Understatement of the year, _he had thought cynically, while, at the same time, hoping with all his heart the screams had not belonged to either of the two most likely candidates at the moment. He had never been quite certain of the reality of the supposed labyrinth, but in that moment, he hadn't dared to doubt it. He supposed some part of him had still been stubbornly holding onto the belief that no evil could ever touch the Digital World, ever again. That had been when the first trickles of fear had entangled themselves in his thoughts.

They had plowed through the weeds and wilted blossoms, letting the dry, dusty wind spur them on like a couple of race horses, crushing every stray branch in their path as they bolted in the direction they felt the screams had originated from. Davis hadn't been about to let whatever darkness had been behind it all win, not after all he had been through in his time as a Digidestined.

Both Davis and Veemon had been so caught up in their mission, so distracted by the thought of someone in need of rescue, they hadn't exactly kept their eyes on the path in front of them. Indeed, the sudden impact of his body against some strange lump had not registered in Davis' mind until after he had found himself face to face with the archaic dirt on the bruised ground.

"Damn it." He had muttered into the earth, earning himself a mouthful of soil as he did so. Even the dirt tasted as stale and as worn as the scenery around them appeared. He had only started forward when he had recognized another voice, spitting out curse words like chewing tobacco.

"Davis?" Tai, looking far older beyond his years, had held out his hand to the boy many claimed as an exact replica of himself at that age. Davis had started, shocked back into reality by the notion that him and Veemon were obviously not the only ones to have heard the bizarre, otherworldly noise.

"Tai? You heard the screeching too?" He had let himself be helped back onto his feet, before he caught the look on Tai's face that almost stopped his heart from beating. He had seen that same expression only one other time before; that had been the sorrow etched within all of Ken's face, in the wake of Wormon's death. That was when fear truly began to settle in the deepest pit of his stomach.

Veemon, meanwhile, had already moved forward, Davis had noted, into a circle that included Agumon, Gomamon, Tentomon, Joe, and Izzy. Vaguely, he had wondered when they had all gotten there, wondered just what Joe was up to, prodding something still hidden from him on the ground.

Confusion and curiosity had driven him forward when Tai had not answered. A coldness unlike anything he had ever experience crept over him like a blanket of the thickest fog. Gradually, as he had drawn closer to the odd circle of friends, two other forms made themselves known, sprawled out and lifeless on the ground.

Cody lay in the dead center, paler than the moon. Davis had felt his entire body stiffen, as if he were the one lying dead on the ground, before his eyes moved over to Armadillomon, who had been positioned in the very same manner.

For eons, it seemed, no one had spoken. Davis could hardly believe that he had arrived in the Digital World only a short while ago. He had just spoken to Cody the other day, about those weird dreams haunting two of their closest friends. Tears, hot and heavy, like the passion that usually ignited Davis' incendiary courage, littered the ground around him.

"He's not dead." Joe spoke up at last, though the lackluster of his voice contradicted the truth of his words. "I-I think he's been poisoned, badly." Izzy, who sat right beside him, said nothing, though Davis could've sworn he heard sniffling sounds coming from his direction.

"And Armadillomon's still alive, because otherwise he would have reverted back to a Digi-egg." Tentomon spoke up sadly. Veemon had slumped uselessly onto the ground, very much like Davis wanted to do, in that moment.

"But there's not much time, right?" Tai spoke up from behind Davis, putting a hand awkwardly upon the latter's shoulder. Even fearless, bold Tai seemed subdued. Davis felt himself shaking, struggling just to stay standing. The entire world, in just a few moments, seemed as though it would come tumbling down around them all.

"My guess is that he has about an hour, maybe a little less." Joe replied in earnest, tears not yet spilled dampening his voice. "W-we need to find the others, see if there's anything we can do to help."

Davis never felt less brave in all his life.

--

He awoke to a room similar to the dungeons he was first held in. The walls were of a dark, dingy stone, and the floor was similarly fashioned. He had been laid on some sort of table, bound by chains yet again, he realized, looking around him, trying to take in everything that had just happened.

It was then that TK recognized that he was in pain. His skin felt as though it were burning from the inside out. A million pinpricks, sharp as daggers, beat against him, from various parts of his body, in time with his quickened pulse. Breathing, on its own, imported new, horrifying sensations into his already weakened body. He felt like he was dying. And all he could think about was the wicked way in which the vampire's fangs sunk into his skin, so easily, like ripping open paper. All his thoughts revolved around the strange, paralyzing lust that had overwhelmed him as his body relinquished his blood to that bastard, Myotismon.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry. He wished that anyone could hear him, could see him now. Never more in his life did he yearn for his older brother. The intensity of the pain coursing through him made him wish he were eight again; he wished that all it took to ease such atrocious horrors was Matt, making everything better with a few wise words.

"So, this is the famous boy of Hope I keep hearing about." A disdainful, distinctly feminine voice sneered, just as the door opened. "I hear from my colleagues that you are quite stubborn. Let's test that theory, shall we?" He could only watch on, held captive both by the chains that bound him to the table, and a trepidation that condemned his thoughts only to the pain within and out his body, and this strangely familar being before him.

As she came closer, TK recognized what made her so familiar to him. In a way, she was built like Lilymon, curvy and fey, with the same green-tinted skin, even. Yet, she was clearly as different from Lilymon as she could be. Her wings were shorter, dyed a violent violet. Her black hair was fashioned in the same way Kari's had been before she'd cut it again this past summer.

The thought of Kari made TK's heart stop cold. He almost made himself physically sick with his selfish desire that imagined Kari by his side. Coupled with the physical pain already running rampant throughout him, the presence of the child of light in his mind was almost unbearable. She was in even more danger than he. Yet he couldn't not think of her, of all the feelings bottled up inside of him that she inspired with just her very existence. He wanted nothing more than to be with her now, away from this palace and its labyrinth of lies and lust, safe on some cottage on some beach somewhere.

"Ahaha." The female digimon chortled cruelly, startling TK from his reverie. "Even now, you're thinking of her, the one my master really wants. I can taste it in your sweat, boy."

He jerked suddenly; frightened by the possibility that this evil digimon could get to Kari through his thoughts. He had to stop thinking about her. Yet every time he looked at the female digimon before him, who had now reached his table and had stopped, flashes of Kari flooded his mind at the speed of light, cascading around his brutal reality with all the magic of sun flakes.

"Ah, so young and in love. How nauseating." She leaned over him, revealing parts of her just barely covered by her bark colored dress. In spite of his devotion to Kari, TK couldn't help himself. He grimaced as her bosom taunted him knowingly. Strange sensations had begun to mingle with the pain. He felt helpless, and angry, that this digimon could manipulate his body in this bizarre way.

"Just who are you, anyway? One of Myotismon's harem?" He felt a tiny moment of joy as she twitched and backed away from him abruptly. He hadn't even tried, and already, he had found her weakest fault. Even if he failed to live through the night, TK felt that he could die somewhat happy, angering this whore of a digimon in some small way. Unfortunately, as he realized later, he would live to regret that sentiment.

Agony, abrupt and agile, exploded within him as she attacked him, seemingly from out of nowhere. TK had tried to reserve his calm demeanor, but her blast had thrown him over the edge, reviving scars long since healed and making deeper wounds that had just barely been stitched shut. In anguish, he cried out, much to his dismay, and her triumph.

"How dare you speak to me that way!" She had clearly derived satisfaction from his loss of self-control, but the way in which she addressed him reinforced the anger still lingering from TK's comment. "I am Discordiamon, one of my master's most faithful servants!" She drew herself up in pride, like a haughty cat. If he weren't hurting so much, TK would have laughed, her pose appeared so ludicrous. "Who are you to talk of harems, boy, you who are so pure and goody-goody? You who are blinded by that little bitch, Kari?"

That broke his last reserves. In spite of the protests of his weary nerves, TK managed to lift himself up, struggling against the heavy chains around his ankles and wrists. Anger guided his every action, anger that this Discordiamon, this ruthless whore, would dare speak about Kari like that. "Don't you ever talk like that about Kari! Ever!"

He was so blinded by panic and rage, TK failed to notice the smug, seductive gleam suddenly unveiled in the digimon's eyes. As he thrashed about, determined to somehow break out of his confinement and strangle her with his bare hands, she descended upon him hungrily, like a starving wolf atop a rotting carcass. He became still as her body overwhelmed his.

"Tell me something, boy." She whispered into his ear, her breath hot and heady, like the most exotic of fragrances, polluting the whole of his thoughts with something sensually sinister. "Are you thinking of her now? Can you even imagine her giving in to this kind of pleasure?" And then she lowered her lips to his exposed neck, silencing, in an instant, all of his body's feeble protests.

TK held his breath. He never hated her more than in that moment, as his body reacted to the closeness of hers. His stomach tightened as he became aware of her lips draping over his skin with all the causality of a mistress. TK knew, in that very instant, that in his accusation, he had been right.

He also felt like the world's largest fool, forced onto a stage without an audience, yet still managing to make an idiot out of himself. He couldn't defy Discordiamon's ministrations, slow and steady, as they worked their way through him like some kind of drug. Yet he also couldn't deny her question. He couldn't think of Kari in this way. He respected her too much to compare her with typical, cheap male fantasies. Even still, her beautiful face, always illuminated by an ethereal sort of light, worked its way into his mind, and soon he was imagining her in that way.

Shame washed over him like waves onto the shore. It seemed as though forever had already passed him by, leaving him stranded and alone. And still, the pain consumed him in the same way Discordiamon's lips were devouring what remained of his innocence. In that moment, he remembered himself, and he stiffened beneath the female digimon's touch.

As if she had expected this reaction, she smirked, and raised her eyes to meet his. "Oh, you are such the paladin, boy of Hope. Don't worry. I can fix that for you." She was practically purring as she raised her hands, defined sharply by lengthy nails that, indeed, strongly resemble claws.

TK felt the tears tumble from his eyes to join with the sweat and newly released blood running down him like a filthy river. All hope within him flickered for a moment, like a dying candle, before Discordiamon blew it out for good. He thrashed about like some kind of maniac before collapsing onto her hands, as cunning as daggers. All hope and light, he felt, died within him then.


	10. More Than This

**Author's Note**: I apologize that it took me awhile to get this chapter up. I had a hard time writing this, but I managed to finish it, at last. This chapter is slightly shorter as well, and I do also apologize for that as well.

Again, thank you to everyone who reads/reviews/adds to favorites this. I really appreciate all your feedback, and the time you take to go out of your way and leave it.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon, or its characters, just as much as I don't own the concept of the labyrinth, or any of the ideals I've incorporated from the sources I've already mentioned. This was written for recreational purposes only.

* * *

Drifting on the light breeze, looking down upon his own body was the most bizarre feeling he had ever experienced, Cody decided. Without a doubt, the sensation of death brought about the strangest of circumstances he had ever been through, both within and with out the Digital World. At least, he imagined himself dead. How else could he be separated from his body?

But he couldn't really be dead, Cody figured. If he had died, surely, he would've moved on to some kind of after life by now? He would have seen his father already, certainly. So why now was he akin to some type of specter, wandering above the limp bodies of both himself and Armadillomon? Where was Armadillomon? Surely, if he had perished, he would have reverted back to a Digi-Egg.

"I'm right here, Cody." He abruptly jerked his head to the left, where he found a visceral spirit strongly resembled to his partner digimon floating beside him. It took him a few moments before he could work up the right words to reply with.

"What's going on Armadillomon? Are we, you know…" He gazed down into his partner's eyes, once so vibrant and full of life, now reduced to a gloomy fog, reflecting the newly transcendent stage the both of them had reached.

"Dead? I don't think so, partner." Cody appreciated the way in which Armadillomon attempted to keep matters light, in spite of the gruesome possibilities hanging over them with an imminence as prominent and foreboding as any of the dark creatures they had faced in battle before. "I've heard of this before. Supposedly, this is just one of the more bizarre side-effects of Cladiumon's Fatal Flaw attack, according to local legend. We've been, for lack of a better word, poisoned."

"Really? But we never even heard anyone attacking, so how is that possible?" The boy wondered aloud, perplexed as he began to digest the whole of what his friend was saying.

"Oh, it's possible alright." Armadillomon replied, somewhat bitterly. A dark expression contorted his ghostly features in such a way that reminded Cody vehemently of their many frustrations when they had both been alive. "Cladiumon's an ultimate level digimon. If the rumors I've heard are true, he's as strong the Dark Masters."

"Oh. Well, that's just great." Cody replied, folding his arms over in annoyance. As if his day could possibly get any worse. "But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It seems like every time we believe we've finally beaten the evil of the Digital World for good, it just comes back again, stronger than before." Sulking silently, he felt as tense as he'd sometimes see TK look. He realized then that he could finally relate to his DNA digivolving partner's frustrations with the darkness.

Armadillomon responded with silence, apparently as lost in thought as Cody felt himself to be. Cody wondered what exactly was going through his partner's mind, at that moment. He became so enveloped in the ethereality of it all that the shrill, collective sound of Mimi, Sora, and Yolei screaming startled him forward into Armadillomon.

"What's going on?" A slight note of panic edged into his voice, distorting it into a higher pitch, as he realized that their bodies. He looked over to his friend instinctively, only to recognize a familiar air of confusion surrounding the digimon as well.

"I think we've been found by the others." Armadillomon answered, gesturing towards the newly gathered group just beneath them. Cody glanced down to find the older children frozen in fear around their bodies. They looked like statues, standing so silent and still, until Mimi and Yolei both let out a piercing wail, and Sora collapsed to the ground, as though hit by some powerful attack.

Cody could only watch as even the steel determination of Davis, their fearless leader, cracked like broken porcelain beneath the weight of the sorrow burdened onto his shoulders. Armadillomon's assurance that they weren't dead seemed hollow and meaningless in that moment.

"This is so strange." He murmured, shivering from a cold that had nothing to do with the atmosphere. Armadillomon nodded in response, as the rest of their group busied themselves with tears and desperate hopes. It was only as the both of them observed the stricken adolescents that Armadillomon noticed two prominently missing members.

"Hey wait a minute. Where are Kari and TK?" The digimon wondered aloud. "Gatomon and Patamon are both right over there, so where are their partners?" Cody abruptly glanced over to where Armadillomon gestured, noting that he happened to be right. Weird that they were both missing, when all the others seemed to have been found…

"That labyrinth!" Cody spoke up suddenly, somewhat startling his close companion. "It must have gotten to them by now! Armadillomon, you said that this whole poisoning thing could be part of Cladiumon's attack, right?"

"Yeah, but what are you getting at Cody-" He was interrupted by the young boy's excited manner, strangely youthful and eager, as though he had just solved a complex equation.

"Our "deaths" are probably meant to act as decoys of some sort, so that the others won't notice when TK and Kari go missing! Oh man, I've got to find some way to tell them." His spirited words deepened into a more somber timbre as the reality of their situation cadged him back in. "But of course, in this state, I can't do anything more than float. Argh!" He despised feeling so useless.

"Excuse my ignorance Cody, but what exactly is going on?" Armadillomon turned to him, a look of earnest confusion etched into his eyes.

Cody was just about to provide an answer when the same sensation of an artic slumber swallowed his words. He felt electric, as though struck suddenly by some invisible spike of lightning. He winced and looked over to find Armadillomon experiencing a similar sort of situation. The digimon's eyes were squeezed shut; he had his limbs pulled close to his body. The staggering power of shock eventually dulled quickly to a numbness as Cody felt the pressure force his eyes closed gradually. The last coherent thought to pass through his mind strangely resembled a fierce, masculine cry of pain.

--

Grey permeated the entirety of her range of vision. Cracked seashells littered the ground obscenely all around her, as though pieces of a rejected mosaic, cast away in shame. Black water licked at the shores with a passion not unlike the wicked temptresses she sometimes read about in her favorite novels. With all the malevolent grace of the thorns of the rose, Kari felt all courage slip away beneath her, swallowed up by the murky depths of her most sinister nightmare. She knew where she was. There was to be no mistake. The Dark Ocean had swallowed her whole.

"Maybe TK's here, too." She whispered futilely, knowing the words to be an empty source of comfort just as soon as they had escaped her mouth. Of course TK wasn't there. The wall had no doubt already gotten to him. She shuddered as the bitter wind coupled with raw anxiety to cavort with glee around her. The sense of foreboding that lay dormant in hibernation unfurled more prominently with each step forward she took. The shadows were out looking for her; unless the others managed to break into the dismal other world, and soon, she stood no chance of escaping whatever force it was that had taken TK.

An almost silent music broke through the silence as she walked on dejectedly. Gradually, she became more aware of it, as tendrils of trepidation surrounded her suddenly, restricting greatly her ability to breathe normally or think straight. It was as if she were drowning in those deep, dark waters out beyond the shore she stood upon. Slowly, all sense of rescue left her; drained by the black tides of change she felt washing over her. The sensation of a slight movement distinctly in the distance startled her, dragging her under further. She could only pray her overactive imagination was getting the best of her yet again, hoping with all her might that her circumstances might improve soon.

Someone was singing, she realized, though she didn't recognize the words. The melody stirred her emotions softly, like some kind of soothing lullaby. It reminded her strongly of her childhood, when her mother would rock her to sleep with music of her own. A beautiful grace made the song seem so harmless in its vanity. And yet, a sort of sorrow, a lonely sound, echoed underneath the seemingly cheerful surface of the harmony. She wondered to whom this marvelous voice belonged as a lethargy settled over her demeanor like dust, partially halting her rapidly increased fears.

Turning abruptly, she looked desperately for the source destroying what tatters remained of her sanity. Only at the sight of the familiar wall, as monolithic and garish as the depths of her nightmares, did Kari recognize the potential dangers of chasing off after the song. Yet even with this acknowledgement, she had become intoxicated by the melody. Resisting its allure was becoming near impossible. She felt as though she were sinking right through the sand, standing there, doing nothing. She had to move, or something. She had to do something.

Before she had the chance to reconsider, as though they were moving on their own, Kari's feet set off at an alarming pace. The wall loomed ever closer as she swiftly shortened the distance between them. Her body moved of its own accord, a reckless being separate from the panicked thoughts and sober realities beginning to take hold within her mind.

_Where am I going? Why am I moving so fast? What's going on? _Kari whimpered in her mind, ashamed of her lack of resistance. The song had ended abruptly, just then. She was trapped, exactly where her captor intended her to be. She had played along, right into his hand. It angered her, that she could be taken advantage of, so easily.

But surely, she figured, heading in this direction would lead her to TK. Not a speck of doubt remained in her mind as to the crest of hope's location; she knew he lay somewhere behind the wall. Perhaps she would manage to reach him before whoever brought them would realize. Perhaps she could save them both and escape from this place, back to the rest of their group and digimon. And perhaps she would one day rule both worlds.

Before she could do so much as try and break free from the invisible force that bound her, Kari had reached the ominous wall. Up close, it radiated a dark eeriness, the likes of which she had never felt before. Like some kind of phantasm, it haunted her every movement, her every thought. Internally, she could feel her own light dimming. She had attempted to show bravery, just as her beloved brother would've done. She had even tried to maintain a strong grip on hope, just as her closest friend, TK, would have done. All her attempts turned out in vain.

And then, the wall opened up before her, as though it had been waiting for her presence.

"Welcome, Child of Light."


	11. Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known

**Author's Notes**: I know I apologize for this far too often than I would care to admit, but again, my apologizes for taking so long to update. I'm trying to get better at beating off my writer's block, and managing all the other chaos in my life at the same time. I still have to work on it, I know. I'm sorry I kept you waiting.

In other news, this will be the last update until at least December, for several reasons. The most significant being me balancing work and school, of course, and the other being that I'm attempting NaNoWriMo this year. My username's breakisnmusic over there, in case any one's interested. (Alright, I'm done with the shameless advertising.)

Again, my thanks goes out to all who read and/or review this. It means a lot, even if you just give this a passing glance. I appreciate all of your support and patience, especially, for those keeping up with this. You have my utmost gratitude for continuing to support my endeavors as a writer. :)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon, or its characters, just as much as I don't own the concept of the labyrinth, or any of the ideals I've incorporated from the sources I've already mentioned. This was written for recreational purposes only.

The title of this chapter comes from the William Wordsworth poem of the same name, and the ending lines are borrowed from Augustana's "Sweet and Low," both of which I also do not own.

* * *

"Oh, thank God!"

"It's a miracle!"

"They're alive!"

She had never before known such relief at the sight of someone waking. She only realized she had stopped breathing when she exhaled in time with the gradual rise of the young boy's eyes. Praising some deity or another silently, Sora couldn't help but descend on Cody as Wizardmon brought him back from near-death.

"Always the mother." She ignored the playfully kind tone of Gatomon's remark in favor of hugging the young Digidestined closer, as if she were indeed a mother clinging to the body of her only child. She heard Matt and the others moving about behind her, but again paid them no mind. All that mattered was that Cody was alive, and not dead, and God, she was rambling, but…

"Uh, Sora?" Only his voice, sounding strangely strained, broke through her protective embrace. "No offense, but I can't breathe!"

The prying hands of her beloved boyfriend helped to separate her from the youth gently, but in such a way that brought her own possessive compulsion to her awareness. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Cody. I guess I'm just…really happy you're awake." She let him go reluctantly.

"Guys, it's not that we don't appreciate your concern, but Cody and I are doing just fine." Armadillomon spoke up from somewhere next to her. His words caught her attention with the promise of implication held within. "Haven't you noticed? Where are Kari and TK?"

She felt her eyes move forward, pulled by the force of the digimon's blunt words. She recalled watching Kari pass out, remembered panicking with the rest of the group, running about like a frenzied gaggle of geese trying to figure out what to do.

"Kari!" Gatomon had run immediately over to her fallen partner's side, her eyes bulging with a familiar fear. The putrid panic flitting about like the curious eyes of a thousand, miniscule insects made the humid afternoon seem that much more alive. Sora recalled sprinting over to the girl, prepared to use her limited medical experience to the fullest extent.

A startled gasp wrangled its way from between her chapped lips as the rest of her memory filtered back in with the gradual pace of molasses. It was only seconds later that a blood-curling scream had latched onto all of them like some kind of leech, draining any and all attention away from the fallen child of light with a deliberate, greedy purpose.

"What in the hell was that?" Yolei's voice alone reached her over the cacophony of confused sound pouring like rainwater out of the other Chosen Children. Sora remembered she had hesitated just above Kari, managing to meet the gaze of Mimi as a means of confirmation as to what to do next. She hadn't even given the child of light another thought until just a moment ago.

Because the sight that they all had stumbled upon had left her quite breathless. A ghost of disbelief had haunted the hallows of her thoughts, halting any sort of coherent response.

Cody had looked to be dead.

"So what are you saying, exactly? That you and Cody were meant as a distraction?" The sound of her own voice brought her back from her thoughts. The thought of such cruel manipulation triggered bolts of righteous anger and disgust throughout her tensed body. Not even Matt's embrace, notably taut itself, could help much in the way of taking off the edge of her provoked emotions.

"It makes perfect sense." Wizardmon, ever the voice of reason, spoke up from beside Armadillomon. It had been thanks to his magic and several, rare digital flowers that had lead to the miracle of reviving Cody and his "Kari's collapsed before; the only way to draw attention away from her was to escalate the situation through several of the more vulnerable members of the group."

"Who would do such a thing?" Mimi wondered aloud, revulsion evident in her normally sweet manner.

"Some kind of monster." Tai snarled. Sora started at the sound of his voice. She had hardly ever seen him so raw, so vicious-so like their enemies from the past. His face now, carved vividly into an expression of the most feral anger, reminded her of a gargoyle's garish countenance. The strained pallor of his fists distorted his appearance so that he seemed to be able to claw through metal. "We'll find TK and Kari, and whoever's behind all this, and we'll make them pay!"

"Hold on; we can't just rush into this!" Joe meandered in front of the Digidestined leader, hands spread high in the air as though to stop the fortitude of Tai's words. Sora almost pitied his efforts; by now, she'd learned compromise to be a dirty word with Tai, particularly when he happened to be in an agitated state.

"Joe, we can't just wait around here! Look what happened to Cody; who knows what's happened to my sister right now!" 'Agitated' now didn't even begin to describe the feral rage rampant on their valiant leader's face. Sora cringed, anticipating already another one of Tai's tirades. It was the absolute last thing the team needed at the moment.

Suddenly, somewhere in the distance, a blur of something pinkish caught her eye. She turned around, baffled. She shook her head. She was more than likely just seeing things. All the stress was probably beginning to get to her. Ever since she had arrived back in the Digital World, things seemed to go from bad to worse. First, of course there had been her run in with Lilithmon, that bitch. And then, the incidents with Kari and Cody.

Back at home, she'd already been burdened with starting to look into university applications as well as supervising tennis team try outs, on top of dealing with the recent dreams of certain digidestined. She had been balancing all of this with the obligations of acting as the perfect girlfriend, encouraging Matt by making sure she attended almost every show with a plate of freshly baked cookies for the entire band. She'd also had her job, working after school with her mother, as a means of building her résumé.

Images of flowers, vivid and voracious, encircled her mind like a coronet, dizzying her with the scents of another time and place. Anger and frustration, a sense of helplessness and a crude despair, wafted like a pungent perfume to overwhelm her completely. Distorted choruses played a hellish symphony in her head, orchestrating behind newly awakened doubts as to her own sincerity and sanity.

This couldn't be happening, she told herself, sinking to her knees beneath the weight of all those sights and sounds and smells in her mind. She was the mother of the group, she had to keep it together, for the sake of both worlds.

Laughter, like the ringing of hand bells, sounded sweetly in her ear as a violent scream clawed its way out her throat like a desperate carnivore. The implications of the others' glances pinned in her place, like a butterfly beneath the transparency of glass. Everything was falling out of place. And here she was, like a grotesque, carnival attraction, all messed up and on display.

--

Mimi took one look at Sora, on the ground and shaking, as though caught within the spell of a seizure, and ran. She couldn't deal with this. Not here, not now. She couldn't take the reality of losing one of her best friends to the depths of madness. She felt as though she had become mad herself, allowing the Digital World to continue to exist in her own mind, in her daydreams as she yearned for more adventure. What had she possibly been thinking, wanting this insanity? What, exactly, was so glamorous about losing her friends to the darkness?

She ignored the chorus calling out her name as she made her way further into the woods, her own angst guiding her like a compass through the underbrush that made to trip her, grabbing at her ankles like greedy servants of the Underworld. The trees darkened with the shadows of her tears. She felt like digging up the earth and burying herself beneath its brute body of blood and bones.

Mimi had become so preoccupied with her own tears and turmoil, she failed to notice the vain, pink wisp of a creature curling its claws around her feet. Only when she felt herself rush past the air, as if she had gone over a waterfall, did she recognize the sensation of capture.

She barely had time to scream, before the strange creature, looking like some sickly, circus being, wrapped her with a substance not unlike cotton candy, only containing a more concrete strength, as she realized while struggling to break free from the bonds.

"What the hell? Who are you? What do you want? Why-" His gag silenced her screeching instantly. Mimi felt a blind rage building within her. How dare this monster, how dare he! Her anger collapsed into a strange fit of passion, of self-loathing, for her own stupidity.

But she had little time to dwell on such matters. The miniscule digimon, built like an overgrown sparrow, costumed in pink and glitter, marched over her like a conquered nation, grinning garishly all the while.

"Ah, you female humans are so easy to manipulate!" He chuckled, as though this entire situation were amusing to him. Mimi felt her anger flare, yelling obscenities behind her gag. "Oh, hush, little girl, don't you cry. Robinmon's going to sing you a lullaby!"

His dark laughter resounded like a wicked melody as he shoved her viciously beneath the bell jar of his madness.

--

Like Wonderland, the Digital World no longer made sense. All its charms and pleasantries scattered themselves out of order, in fragmented shapes, like bizarre dreams. Colors like the wings of many bats fluttered frantically before her eyes, weaving in and out of coherency like the belligerent lullabies of a jaded youth. Kari felt the taut grip of the binds holding her wrists together and understood that she wasn't sleeping. She knew this wasn't another one of her many nightmares. Like electric malignancy, the actuality of her current state would not be ignored. She was the cadged bird backed into a corner; only one more prod before she would crack and begin to sing.

The sight of Sora sinking into insanity grabbed at her heart like a selfish child grasping at the last piece of candy in the jar. She felt sick, watching the girl she had long considered one of her stand-in older sisters tremble on the ground. It hurt her more than anything to know that her own pain had only brought down more suffering unto others. Her miniscule discomfort in exchange for their extreme misery.

And Cody. God. She thought she hadn't been able to break anymore. The loss of TK had already shattered her fragile spirit into shards of sinister dust. Cody, the youngest of them all, laying on the ground like a cold, dead _thing_, like an inanimate object, as though he had never been alive. She would never be able erase such devastation from her mind.

Truly, with only solitude to keep her company, Kari felt the last of her edges crack. She couldn't take this. She wouldn't. She was too young. She wasn't strong enough, and all of the voices in the darkness were yelling at her. "Queen Kari!" "Our only hope!" They called, and she cried out in response to their wretched glee with all the desperation of a forlorn lover.

"Ah, young light's awake." That voice. The melody of it, its dulcet rhythm. She recognized it as the voice behind the lethargic lullaby that had lulled her here in the first place. Trepidation, the only sort of emotion that still had any sort of influence over her, bore down like the impatient hand of an overbearing mother at the sound of that damn voice. "I trust you slept well. Sleep, perchance to dream?"

Kari felt drained, devoid of any and all urges to respond back with any sort of flippancy. Really, she failed to see how the good guys could actually win this war. The carnage had barely even begun, and already, she felt like a veteran soldier whose friends had all died in battle around her.

"Well." The lady digimon clucked, letting hands fall to her hips with a dramatic flair, emphasizing her own pleasure with the situation through her false irritation. "I see you're as much fun as that other boy was."

The disdain dripping from her tone like absinthe sent shudders of coherency down her spine. Kari snapped her head forward, incited by the poison in the monster's words. "What have you done with him?" The words didn't come out as nearly as ferocious as they resounded in her head, her voice weakened by whatever substance had put her to sleep in the first place.

"A ha ha." She felt sickened by the other's laughter, the way in which it lodged in the crevices of her brain like crude insects seeking shelter from the strange bloodlust of the spider spinning silk in the shadows. "And here I thought perhaps you'd gone mute." The digimon moved closer with all the feral certainty of a predator closing in on its prey. "Master will be pleased to know you still have some spirit left in you."

Kari began to shake as the wraith-like being of indigo and ebony sauntered closer, slowly, but surely, as though this dance of theirs was some kind of cheap masquerade. She was damn sure she didn't want to think about this mysterious "master," and whatever he or she wanted with her. "What have you done with him?" She ventured to ask again, this time, desperation adding an edge to her voice.

"At this point in time, it's not my place to say what the Master does with his playthings." That smirk. That arrogant, vile smirk. She forced her eyes shut, forced her memory to abandon such an infuriating expression of evil.

She opened her eyes to find Lilithmon's gaze staring at her from mere inches away. She had to bite back a scream. She wanted more than anything to wake up, to realize this was all just a bad, bad dream stirred up by her overworked imagination. She felt on the brink of sacrificing the entirety of her life to escape from this hellish Wonderland.

"Oh, light shines so brightly in the day, when only the clouds can interfere with its incendiary prowess." The lady demon purred with a quiet confidence, as though she were quoting Shakespeare. "But look what happens when light stays too long in the shadows. The darkness stains it, turns light into its most loyal companion. The night seduces the light into submission. Oh, how tragic for you, little girl. All hope is gone."

And in an instant, Lilithmon vanished, leaving Kari to ponder alone the meaning of her words that echoed like a choking chorus of a bad song in her mind. All _hope_ is gone. All hope _is_ gone. All _hope _is _gone_. Surely, that didn't mean what the garish ghosts in her thoughts were whispering to her…

But time, too, seemed to take pleasure in her misery. For, at that moment, like the despondency lingering in the wake of a funeral march, ultimate darkness crept its way across the prison in the form of a voice she never wanted to hear again for as long as she lived.

"Hello, Kari."

--

This just wasn't happening. Not to this world. Not to them. Not to _her_. It was all too much. She heard the scream, felt the panic spread like an earthquake beneath her feet. She could feel herself sinking beneath the weight of her reality. This world was too big for them, this evil, too great for them to conquer. Already, it had claimed two of their number. It had almost taken three. It stole all sanity that remained in love and forced sincerity out into the woods. Now, she could feel it as the cracks began to surface from beneath her skin.

Yolei knew she was crying. She knew her tears were hideous as they rained down her face. She bled sorrow as her fists curled in upon themselves, trying to hide from the damnation of the reality they found themselves stuck in. She felt as though she were two again, as though her tears could ultimately solve this problem.

"Yolei."

She heard her name, whispered by the wind. She paid it no mind. Sora had already lost control of her grip on sanity, why should she still hold on? What was the point? Everything in this stupid world was turning to gray. Despair grounded her determination. Why should she still give a damn?

"Yolei!"

The voice calling out to her grew louder in volume and desperation. She ignored it all the more. She was just an ordinary girl, wandering aimlessly among her own delusions. It all felt too much like a nightmare to be real. She'd wake up soon, and the rest of the Digidestined would all laugh as she relayed to them the foolish workings of her mind.

She felt a small smile snake its way across her face. It would be just like old times, all of them reminiscing about the good old days of the Digital World…

She heard rather than felt the hand that viciously embedded itself in her skin. She couldn't stop smiling. This wasn't real. Someone had just slapped her, how funny. That's when she started laughing. Her sanity had nothing to hold onto anymore. This wasn't real. It was too depressing to be real.

The sensation of strange lips pressed upon her own quieted her giggles, like a cork to placate wine. Yolei started, opening her eyes to realize the gray had disappeared, as though it had been nothing but fog. She realized she was being kissed. She returned her gaze to find Ken holding her in his arms fiercely, as though grounding her. Wonder paralyzed her for but a moment longer, before she caved, and found herself kissing him back.

_Hold me down, please._ She silently pleaded with him, hoping, through some miracle or another, he would be able to read her thoughts. _Hold me down, sweet and low._


	12. HalfSick of Shadows

**Author's Note**: Thank you, again, to everyone who takes the time to read and/or review this. I am very grateful for any input you may have for me; it means a lot that you would take the time to look over this, even if it's just a passing glance. Thank you again, especially for your patience in putting up with my rather long intervals between updates.

Also, this story is now 67 pages (32,364 words) in Microsoft Word. It's the longest piece I have ever written. I'm really excited to keep this going, though, truth be told, I cannot honestly say when the next update will be, and I apologize for that, and once again, thank all of those who've had patience with this work.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon, or its characters, just as much as I don't own the concept of the labyrinth, or any of the ideals I've incorporated from the sources I've already mentioned. This was written for recreational purposes only.

* * *

He had acted on impulse, really. Nothing else in the world made sense anymore. What use was reason and logic? No, the desperate aching in his heart shoved him into action. He could not refuse to act, not when her sanity lingered on the brink of decimation. His mind screamed at him to stop, that it would only make matters worse.

But then she had opened her eyes. For one moment, he had felt the vibrancy of the earth beneath him, as if its soul had never been trampled upon. The wind had stilled, time had paused in its determined gait. Some semblance of joy slowly began seeping back into his battered, bruised bones. She opened her eyes, and a world without strife unfurled from within.

The respite from the macabre could only be brief, Ken came to realize later. They were fools to believe that they could escape the watchful eyes of the shadows; the façade of romance could only hold out against the inevitable for long. A sharp sound, sudden and brazen like a volcanic eruption, resounded in his mind as invisible forces tore Yolei from his embrace with a violence like that which he had once employed as Emperor. He screamed out desperately for her, reaching out at the empty space like a greedy child clutching for his favorite toy. Except that she was so much more precious. And he did not want to imagine himself without her.

But none of them had much of a choice in the matters now at hand. An army of Digimon, of all shapes and sizes, had seized upon their hiding place and were in the process of decimating what remained of their number. Wings, claws, and blades sliced through the air with all the grace of a refined killer. He could almost taste the bloodlust poised precariously on their expressions.

Still, their Digimon wasted little time in responding. In a trance almost, he watched in a distilled sort of horror as Gatomon and Patamon threw themselves fiercely into the fray. Following them not long thereafter, Gomamon, Tentomon, Armadillomon, Veemon, and Wormmon tumbled into the mix. He was transfixed and terrified all at once. He wanted to stop Wormmon, to prevent him from dying again, but found that he just couldn't move.

"Ken!" He spun abruptly to find Davis at his side, just as Agumon and Gabumon, in their Mega forms, began clawing and ripping at the enemy monsters, pulling at him roughly. "Come on, you've got to move!"

"Where's Yolei?" He had to yell over the cacophony of warfare. It was the only response he could utter aloud as he was dragged ruthlessly along by his best friend, like something sewn and stuffed.

"Dude, I hate to tell you this, but right now, that's not important!" Ken glared viciously at Davis, wondering if the boy was, indeed, heartless. Davis only scoffed at this. "Look, Ken, I'm sorry. We've got to get out of here! We need to help them digivolve!" He gestured in the general direction of their partners as the reality of their predicament hit Ken in the face as hard as TK once had long ago.

"Right!" His voice shook with the weight of responsibility. He couldn't be selfish, not at a time like this. The most he could do at the moment was hope desperately that she would be alright. Hurriedly, he rushed over with Davis, digivice out, ready for action, not caring, in the rush of impulse, about the imminence of danger.

Such carelessness ultimately cost him, of course. A distinguished digimon, composed almost entirely out of shadows, it seemed, intercepted them instantly. A grotesque cry issued forth from his mouth, and Ken recognized it immediately. The same screaming that had drawn them all to Cody, laying cold and still on the ground.

He crumpled, then, like a thin paper doll. He felt as agony extended her long, white fingers through his veins, making sure to tear at his skin with her elongated nails. He cried out so loudly, he did not hear the others beside him, their combined chorus of anguish and defeat. It did not sink into him, that they were losing, had lost.

He held only thoughts for her.

---

She closed her eyes, as Myotismon's voice overwhelmed her, caving in to the cowardice gradually devouring her, like a spider gnawing the last of life out of its prey. Tied effectively to what felt like some sort of pole, located in what looked like a dungeon of some sort, she squirmed uselessly against her bonds, desperate to put as much distance between her and the vampire as possible. His presence drifted over her like seawater. Cold, and deceptively delicate, she couldn't help but notice the prominence of his gentlemanly manners, so close by her side. The light within her flickered; she understood, perfectly, that it was close to going out.

"It's been awhile, has it not, child?" She opened her eyes, squinting in the minimal light, to meet with a gaze of the most malicious cobalt blue. She turned sharply away, forcing herself to visualize the safety to be found in another, distinct pair of blue eyes.

She gasped at the sensation of his hand upon her chin. Caressing her skin lightly, he now held her in the palm of his hand, literally. She didn't know what to do, how to act. The malignant triumph in his eyes left her breathless. In the utmost corners of her mind, were she still roamed free; her anger gurgled, boiling like the repugnance of potent lava. Determination made her restless; the intricacies within his gaze kept her paralyzed.

"Don't feel like talking?" The blatant mockery in his voice almost rendered her ill as he relinquished her disdainfully. "Fine. I'll go and see if your, ahem, male companion is up to the task." He made to leave, making it as far as the door before Kari was forced to protest.

"Alright, stop!" She grimaced at the transparent desperation in her voice. She had been struggling not to panic; she was still too afraid, for TK's sake, that she'd slipped, and exposed the pale vulnerability of her childish desires. How she wished this was just another nightmare. How she longed to wake up in a tangled mass of sheets and limbs, caught off guard by another poor night's sleep.

"It's me you want. Leave him out of this." Internally, she cringed at the docile, dulcet nature of her tone. In the little time she had been imprisoned, that monster had already reduced her to begging. She hoped someone would find her soon, selfish as it was to hope without _him_ by her side. She dreaded what Myotismon no doubt had already planned, for however long he managed to stay alive.

He chuckled deeply at her response. A glint of refined madness sparkled cruelly in his eyes. "Such generosity is most appreciated, Kari." She looked away as he stepped closer. She loathed the way he said her name. "I'll make sure to mention it to Hope when I see him next."

She cringed as she felt his gloved hand back, smoothly malignant, like the caress of midnight, upon her cheek once again. The façade of a romantic gesture inspired thoughts of a most disturbed nature to clog her mind, like honey. A morbid curiosity wove its way between them, like an intricate thread within a majestic tapestry. Thoughts and feelings she wished would dissipate like the fog he so cherished.

"Such kindness deserves a reward, no?" His voice coiled around her, serpentine and sinister in its movements. A chill with no relation to the cold atmosphere around her gripped her suddenly, as stern as the rope wrapped around her wrists. "Let's see. What could I possibly have to offer as a reward?"

"Nothing that I'd ever want." The retort sounded strained, even to her hearing. But she wasn't about to let that monster trample all over her. She was no doormat. (Or so she kept repeating to herself, as a sort of mantra against the dread and…other, unsettling emotions wreaking havoc on her stomach, like disturbed spirits.)

At her words, Myotismon's fangs emerged as he contorted his lips into a grotesque smirk, as though he had already anticipated her precise response. And perhaps, she realized with a dawning horror, he _had_. After all, if he had cheated death for yet a fourth time, peering into the minds of others probably required little to no effort at all.

"I wouldn't sound so certain, if I were you." His grin only widened further as Kari realized her expression of dismay must've been clearly on display on her face.

Futility turned to rage as she realized that she wanted nothing more than to rip that malicious glee right from his mouth, nothing more than to watch him suffer in the glow of ten thousand, fiery suns.

Righteousness made her determined. "What could _you_ possibly offer me that I'd ever want besides freedom?" For herself and for him, she thought fiercely, clinging to the idea like a security blanket she hadn't outgrown it, as though it could still protect her.

At that, he outright laughed, and the anger inside her exploded in the guise of a particularly powerful headache. The sheer, demonic cacophony of it resounded garishly within her mind. She clenched her teeth together, grimacing against the mutiny of her body, turning traitor when she needed the ability to concentrate most, as he continued to manipulate her vulnerability further.

"Certainly, as I recall when we first met," She felt sick at the sight of his smirk widening. "you seemed to care very much about saving the lives of others."

A dread, potent like the imminence of the electric anarchy of thunder, drained all defiance from her. At the implications within his tone, Kari knew with certainty then, that she faced impossible odds. She just barely refrained from screaming aloud, both in fear, and frustration at the expression of pure, malicious delight etched gruesomely upon his face.

"I believe there's something you might want to see." He sauntered away from her, gesturing grandly as he did so. "Before you so rashly recant my very generous offer," he paused deliberately as dark tendrils wove themselves into an oval shape, "you might want to consider this."

Appearing out of thin air, what, at first glance, looked to be a mirror of sorts bathed the room in a magic light she knew would not harm the vampire. At the center of it, much to her dismay, lay TK, on some sort of table, writhing around like a worm caught on a hook. Blood and sweat mingled on his heaving chest, covering his shirtless body like paint. The most vicious of sympathetic pains, such as she had never known, gripped her then, encroaching upon the remnants of her sanity like the sharp edges of a cage.

"And just in case you've still not made up your mind…" There was a vicious quality of lust to his voice, demonic and savage as his very actions. Kari had little time to dwell on the meaning of this, her eyes still drawn to the ragged form of her best friend, looking as though he had been crucified, when the image transformed.

At the sight that met her, Kari could no longer refrain from screaming. Desperate and despairing, the shrieks bled from her as though forced out by the brilliant edge of a knife. In the midst of the image, her brother Tai lay unconscious. Reason no longer held any sway over her; she could only picture her brother, the fiery child of courage, still, and cold. Lifeless. Extinguished.

Her cries increased as she began to recognize the other figures strewn around her brother, all of which lay at awkward angles, unmoving. Sora's face, so typically warm and receptive, curled in on itself in the depths of madness; Matt's body, entwined instinctively around hers, was hardly visible beneath the bruises that covered it like some sort of plague. Joe, Izzy, and Cody, slumped over upon each other nearby, looked as if they had hardly fared any better. Ken and Davis, a little ways off, appeared to have lost against the malicious might of a particularly cruel monster.

"W-what about the digimon?" It seemed to take an eternity for her to find the strength to speak. She hadn't seen any one of them amongst the wreckage of her friends. Their absence only added to the pain railing rampantly against her chest; her heart felt fit to burst, her mind seemed precariously placed on the very edge of coherency. In the blinding light of her despair, Kari had failed to notice the absence also of Mimi and Yolei.

"Probably digi-eggs, by now." It appeared that the vampire had overlooked this as well, basking in his bravado. At his sinister smile, she fell through the cracks, felt every inch of hysteria as it scratched against her skin, made her bleed in front of him. She could only submit as he pooled her in his hands and breathed beguiling promises against her fair cheek. "Your human friends are still alive. Though, at this rate, I cannot say how they'll manage that for long."

"Do you have an answer for me, yet, child of light?" Myotismon inquired after her lack of response, though it was clear that he assumed he already knew the answer.

Sinking further down into the abyss, she could only answer, "Yes."

---

Yolei had run as fast as her legs could carry her. Which, under normal circumstances, did not usually amount to a terribly great distance. Yet, in her awakening, in the wake of that kiss, she had found that determination for one's own life (as well as those of others) made for quite the remedy against the aches and pains that usually prevented her from running far.

She had run, and she had heard the screaming and the moaning. The memory of Ken holding her, like a child cradling their most beloved possession, helped to deafen the world around her, rendering the battle behind her practically mute. She had run on, clutching greedily at the blind hope that the rest of her friends had managed to break away also.

When the soreness of her muscles finally halted her progress, when she had, at last, collapsed upon the ground, the world had come back into focus. Now, minutes, hours, days-god only knew how much longer later, solitude pinned her helplessly to the spot, rooting her with the knowledge that, so far as she knew, she had been the only one of them to make it out of the battle.

Yolei felt too drained for tears. Fear, madness, futility-they sucked at her spirit, like leeches, taking in their haste all energy she might have spent on weeping. She curled in upon herself, as if she really believed that this insanity was nothing more than a bad dream. She hugged her body close, closed her eyes and made believe that she still lay comforted by the contours of her bed.

A strange smell awoke her, what seemed like hours later. She opened her eyes reluctantly, loathing the thought of having to move and abandon the warmth of the large bed. Wait. Large bed?

At that, she bolted up, overwhelmed by a sickly combination of confusion and nausea. Various shades of brown and grey encircled her as the pungent, earthy fragrance lingered in her memory. The world around her wobbled, off balance for a few moments as she attempted to establish the identity of her surroundings.

"Where am I?" She wondered aloud, struggling to digest the events of the past several hours. She didn't entirely recognize the room she was in at the moment. It looked especially cramped, stuffed with books, she realized upon finding her glasses upon the nightstand next to the bed, and other various, academic debris. She felt almost as if she had gone back in time, from the looks of the yellowed pages scattered as though discarded by the severity of a hurricane, and the archaic nature of the wooden shelves and desk crammed into the crevices and corners.

"Why, still in the Digital World, of course." A slight shift in the dusty air, subtle, like the tremors of a benign wind, along with the familiar lilt of that gentle voice, alerted her to the presence of another being in her midst. Yolei turned abruptly, shrieking in disbelief and fright at the sight of her friend and digimon partner, Hawkmon.

"Aack!" Her sudden movements were violent enough that they sent the poor bird off onto the floor.

"Don't do that to me!" She panted, slowly regaining her breath and steadying her turbulent heartbeat. She'd had enough of surprises for a lifetime now.

"I'm sorry! I didn't realize you weren't quite awake yet." He grumbled, picking himself up and dusting off his feathers with a half-hearted air of annoyance. She had known him long enough to know that, behind his façade of irritation, he secretly found all her quirks and flaws endearing.

"Yeah, well." She mumbled, throwing the covers off as she made to get up. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. A little warning next time, okay?"

Yolei maneuvered her way around the bird digimon to stand up. Only when her head banged against the ceiling did she figure that hers wasn't the brightest idea in the world. Where was someone as level-headed as Cody when you needed them? Such a thought sparked her musings if the other digidestined where somewhere nearby.

Before she could seize the chance to voice her concerns, however, another voice meandered in from the doorway, as soft and as transitory as smoke:

"What's going on here?"


End file.
